Operation Rainbow
by Aerysa
Summary: Theme - Rainbow. Hei receives a new mission involving a certain foreign exchange student alias, test material and an unsuspecting test subject.
1. A New Assignment

haha, I'm such a terrible tease when it comes to these things, but this is a story dedicated to my good friend, **Dear4Life**, as her Christmas present ^^

A theme story where the theme is _Rainbow_ (hence the title).

Enjoy! And I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas~

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**Operation Rainbow**

**Chapter 1 – A New Assignment**

Shuffling his feet as he walked along the concrete pavement, Hei buried his hands deep into his pant pockets. His gaze was averted downwards, a slight hunch to his shoulders as he continued along the way. He was headed towards the park where he was to meet the others, but he was dressed as Li Sheng Shun since that was his regular cover; the shy and unassuming foreign exchange student from China.

When he slowly entered the park, it was to find that he was the last to arrive – not that it was surprising. From the corner of his eye, he could see Mao resting in the shade of a tree. The cat returned his gaze when he slowly opened one eye. He sat up slightly to let out a big yawn before resettling himself in his resting position.

Yin was in her usual location, sitting at the top of the short children's slide. She didn't show any visible signs that indicated her acknowledgement of his arrival. Even so, Hei knew that she would realize his presence. As for Huang, he was sitting on the circular bench, reading a newspaper.

The papers rustled as Huang flipped the page and Hei went to take a seat on the other side. As he wandered by, he could see a pile of cigarette butts which had accumulated; the only way Huang knew to relieve his stress when things did not happen according to his exact schedule.

"About time you got here," Huang stated, Hei's butt not even seated on the bench yet.

"You knew I would come."

"In your own damn time. That's what I hate about you Contractors…"

"I'm here now," Hei said, cutting in as he knew the man could rant for hours regarding his hatred towards Contractors; something he didn't want to hear.

"You have a mission," replied Huang, not skipping a beat.

That was the usual reason why they got together like this since he hadn't been assigned any previous tasks. As a result, Hei remained silent. From behind, he heard rustling before something was slid across the bench towards him He waited for Huang to resume his reading before he reached for it. When he pulled it towards himself, he was stunned by the picture he found himself staring at.

"What do they want?" he finally asked when Huang didn't offer any explanations.

Instead of replying verbally, he heard Huang put something else on the bench. Like the picture, it was slid towards him before reading of the newspaper resumed. Reaching a second time, Hei found himself closing his fingers around a small, leather-bound box. Carefully opening it, all he found inside were small vials numbered 1 to 7, each containing a colourless liquid.

"That's your target," Huang finally informed him. "They want you to test each vial on her, starting from 1."

"Why?" he couldn't help asking.

"Beats me. I don't ask these things. Sounds simple enough to me. Even you can't mess up this one."

Finished relaying the message, Huang gave the paper a firm snap before refolding it. He rolled it into a small cylinder, tucked it underneath his arm and stood up to leave. He finished the last of his cigarette and put it out before he walked off.

"What is it this time?" Mao asked, meandering his way towards the bench.

Jumping up onto it, he stretched one paw in front of himself and then the other. Glancing around at the park, he finally settled himself in a spot close to the one Huang had just been occupying. Yawning again, he waited for Hei to provide further instructions.

"We're not needed."

Surprised that Yin was answering instead of Hei, Mao lifted his head and tilted his ears in her direction. That didn't make sense at all since they were a team. It was his place to support Hei, whether he wanted it or not.

"Huang never said that," Mao stated. "What do you know that I don't?"

"Kirihara Misaki."

"The lady officer? What about her?" asked Mao.

"She's my target," Hei answered.

"What?"

Hei placed the picture face up on the bench and slid it back so Mao could see it. He turned slightly to see the cat gaping at the image. At the same time, Yin went down the slide and wiped off her dress before wandering out of the park. Like she had stated, they wouldn't be needed this time around.

"And the box?"

"Some sort of potions," Hei said.

"I guess your cover comes in handy."

"That's probably what the Syndicate was banking on."

"Well, good luck," Mao replied as he stood from his spot.

Slowly raising a paw to his mouth, he started to lick at it while turning to look at Hei. He returned the gaze, no visible signs of discomfort; not that he had really expected any. Even so, the lady officer was an odd target choice as she had never been a major threat; perhaps a hindrance, but never a threat to any of their operations. The Syndicate's reasoning still remained debatable.

* * *

Lying on the floor of his apartment, Hei found himself staring up at the picture of his latest target. It looked like her picture on record from work, which wouldn't surprise him as the Syndicate had their reaches to every nook and cranny imaginable. That wasn't the point. What he didn't understand was why her. She was to be a test subject, but surely there was a better way to test mysterious potions.

Whatever the case, he didn't have much choice in the matter. First he had to figure out a way to administer these vials to her, obviously without getting caught. It wouldn't be hard, but it would be a nuisance because it meant he had to play Li constantly, for however long it took to finish this; a mission, surprisingly, without a timeline on it.


	2. Potion 1: Code Red

**Chapter 2 – Potion 1: Code Red**

Watching her for the last week, Hei already knew how her schedule worked. At least once a week, she would take a longer lunch break and go out to eat. Then she would make up lost time by staying late at work; usually one of the last to leave the building. On busy days, she skipped the lunch part, but still stayed late.

It was odd; an unaccustomed feeling that he had never experienced before; to watch someone but not for the sake of assassination. He still wasn't anywhere close to determining a plausible reason for turning the officer into a personal test subject. It should have been easy enough to find one, instead of using sneaky tactics like this. Besides, he was one of their best. So why send him to do a job like this?

Shaking his head to push aside his thoughts, he was going to miss his chance if he kept this up. Ever since he had received this assignment, he had tried to determine a good explanation for this overall mission. All it had done was lead his thoughts into a circular pattern – never ending.

* * *

Misaki walked with purposeful strides as she made her way to Home Run House, one of her favourite places to eat. They had the best ramen she had ever eaten before. On top of that, it was a family run business, so it was relatively quiet; something she needed in order to enjoy her break from the hectic rush of work.

As she neared the restaurant, her strides became more languid. A sense of nervousness prickled her stomach as she recognized the familiar figure standing alone near the entrance – Li-kun. She hadn't expected to see him here. She had never bumped into him here before…

Her mind raced as she tried to think of something suitable to say when she reached him. Unfortunately, she reached her ultimate destination before anything came to mind. Stopping next to him, she opened her mouth to greet him. Foolishness overwhelmed her as she was struggling with a basic greeting. Mentally berating herself, that was when she noticed that he didn't notice her. In fact, he seemed to be in a daze.

"Li-kun, are you okay?" she asked.

There was no response which caused Misaki to worry a little. If he wasn't careful, he could get robbed in broad daylight, if not worse. It would be disastrous, considering he was a foreign exchange student. He would have a difficult time trying to get home, to China, or potentially even dealing with everyday issues like rent and work…

"Li-kun, are you okay?" she repeated, this time tapping on his arm.

He jumped, swinging his eyes in her direction, a sense of panic on his face. His eyes were large and he stared at her in surprise. When he recognized who she was, he began to relax and sighed softly. Then he smiled at her sheepishly before quickly glancing away.

"K – Kirihara-san, you startled me. What are you doing here?" he inquired.

"I was about to have lunch when I noticed you just standing here. Are you alright?"

"Eh? Y – Yes, of course."

"Are you sure?" she asked, her features puckering into a slight frown. "You were here for quite a while. Would you like to talk about it over lunch?"

"Ah… W – Well, there's not much to discuss, but I'd love to have lunch."

On cue, his stomach let out a loud grumble and he looked away, embarrassed. Misaki giggled before turning to the entrance of the restaurant. Something must have been really bothering him, for him to daze out right outside of the place. Her mouth had already started to salivate from the smells that wafted outside.

"Anywhere you want."

"Thanks. Just for two," Misaki called back to the owner.

He raised his eyebrows in disbelief as he knew she ate more than one person's share. As for the young man in her company, he ate the equivalent of thirty people… Entering the back, he went to pull out his back-up stock, just in case.

When the owner left, Misaki smiled lightly at Li-kun before sitting down. They faced each other and neither wanted to be the first to speak. Misaki was feeling nervous now that she had his attention. As for Hei, he was feeling disgruntled that he had spaced out right at the most critical moment; though things had worked out anyways.

"S – So… I didn't know you liked coming here," he said, initiating a conversation.

"Not often, but yes. The food here is some of the best I've ever had."

"That I can agree on."

"I'm glad," answered Misaki.

She glanced into his eyes to see that he was watching her and both of them quickly glanced the other way. She wanted to ask about what had distracted him, but she didn't want to seem too pushy or nosy. Thankfully, the owner came out to serve them, saving her from the awkward situation.

"So how many should I start you off with?" he asked, placing down two cups of tea.

"I'll have three for now," Misaki mumbled.

"Eh… I'll… I guess five for now."

Misaki glanced at Li in surprise. She had been feeling self-conscious because she had forgotten about the amount of food she normally consumed. It would be so embarrassing if Li-kun thought that she was a pig. And yet, he had ordered even more than her…

"I um… I really like it," Li said lamely.

"Yes, me too… So um. If it's not too nosy of me… What were you thinking about outside? You were so preoccupied; you were lucky to be in a quiet neighbourhood or you could be robbed, if you're not careful."

"Eh?"

Li started to frantically check his pockets and finally breathed a sigh of relief when he found everything in place. When Misaki began to giggle at his overly exaggerated response, he smiled sheepishly and scratched at his head.

"I… It's kind of silly," he started to say, "but um… I have an exam next week and I always get extremely nervous since I try to memorize everything I need to know… I must have slipped into memorization mode."

"Oh. Well it's not silly. It's important for your future. I hope you do well on it."

"Me too."

Misaki smiled lightly at him, not fully meeting his eyes. She wasn't sure what to say and Li didn't add anything to the conversation. As a result, silence fell between them. She couldn't help wondering if he felt awkward around her because she was socially inept at keeping up a conversation.

"Here's for starters," the owner stated, breaking the silence. "If you need more, I'll be out in a flash."

Glancing at the bowls he placed on their table, it quickly filled up. Li carefully moved aside his chopsticks, waiting for their order to be filled. When the owner was finished, he was about to ask him for something, but he seemed to be in a hurry to get back to the kitchen.

"Oh…"

"Did you want something?" Misaki asked, noticing how he was staring at the owner's retreating figure.

"Just a glass of water, but it's okay…"

"Ah, no. Excuse me!" Misaki called out, turning to face the kitchen as her back was originally towards it.

It took the owner a minute to emerge from the back and Hei quickly took the opportunity to dump the first of the potions into the soup of Misaki's noodles. Thankfully, it was colourless and it didn't separate from the soup to float like a puddle on the surface.

"If you need something, you shouldn't be afraid to ask for it," Misaki stated, turning back to face him.

"Ah… I don't want to be troublesome…"

"You're the customer. It's alright for you to ask if it's a reasonable request. Well, dig in!"

"I'll try and remember that for next time," Li muttered before turning to his food.

Misaki nodded in reply and started to dig into her food. She glanced up briefly to see that he was doing the same. Watching in amazement, the noodles seemed to disappear into a void as he was already halfway through his first bowl. He must have noticed her watching because he stopped, stared back for a second and quickly glanced away embarrassed.

"I'm really hungry… You already heard my stomach growl," he explained. "You should eat before it gets cold."

"Sorry," replied Misaki with a slight blush to her cheeks. "I didn't mean to stare."

Li only scratched at his head before he shrugged and began to eat again. Misaki renewed her efforts, embarrassed that she had been so rude as to stare. It wasn't like her to do something like that. By the time she was through the majority of her first bowl, it was to find that her companion was already on his third. She watched him for a brief moment before she started to giggle.

"Hm? What is it?" Li inquired, looking up.

"Ah… No well… It's nothing," she answered, not wanting to say that he looked cute while he ate.

"Mm, you're not hungry? You've barely touched your food."

"Oh, it's…"

She was cut off when her phone started ringing in her pocket. Throwing Li an apologetic look, she sighed and pulled it out. A grimace touched her features as the display showed Saitou's name. It was just like him to disrupt her in the middle of her lunch.

"What is it now?" she shouted into the phone, something inside her snapping.

"_Eh? Chief?"_

"I know it's you Saitou! Now what do you want?"

"_Ah… Well…"_

"Come on now! Spit it out!"

"_Um… Well we have some activity from NB-174…"_

"And you can't handle it yourself? Seriously! I'm on lunch break! Why can't you do anything? Just for once, I'd like to enjoy my entire break in peace! Let me tell you! It's really aggravating that you and the rest of your useless coworkers can't get a damn thing done!"

Hei's Li expression slipped and he carefully sucked up the noodle that had been dangling from his lips. She was behaving so unexpectedly. One minute she had been smiling at him and now she was shouting expletives at her subordinate. She was so loud that even the owner had come out to see what the commotion was about.

Misaki uttered one last curse and slammed her finger on the end call button. She flashed an angry expression in Li's direction and he shrank back against the chair. Next thing she knew, the owner was standing at their table with his hands on his hips.

"I know you're somewhat regular, but I _won't_ tolerate this kind of language in my restaurant. We're a family business and you're just lucky that there aren't any other customers."

"Shut up!" Misaki yelled at him. "Who the hell do you think you are? I'm the customer here! _Not you!_"

"E – Excuse me?"

Hei quickly jumped up out of the seat to cause a distraction as it seemed like Misaki would come to blows with the owner. Going around the table, he apologized to the man for her terrible behaviour. In turn, he became the target of her anger; curses spilling from her lips for his audacity of manhandling her.

"I – I'll pay for this the next time I'm in," he promised before he dragged her to the entrance.

"Let go of me, asshole! You have no right to touch me! None at all! I'm an officer of the law. I'll have your ass cuffed and locked behind bars for sexual harassment!"

Ignoring her as she went along kicking and screaming, she was no match against his strength. He had a feeling he knew exactly what caused this change in her attitude. At this point, all he could hope was that its effects weren't long lasting; she was quite a handful to deal with in this frame of mind.

Hei managed to get her out the door while she was screaming at him; alternating between attacking his character and pouring heaps of threats on his head. She even kicked him in the ankle a number of times, but he ignored the pain. If he let her loose, there was no telling what kind of havoc she would create. She had already cussed out Saitou and the owner of Home Run House.

She fought him for a few minutes longer as he tried to pull her down the pathway he had come from. Then suddenly, she went completely limp and collapsed against him. Glancing around carefully, he didn't see anyone around. Breathing out a sigh of relief as that ordeal was over, he slipped his arm underneath her legs and scooped her into his arms before walking back to his apartment, the only safe place close by.

* * *

"Kirihara-san?"

Misaki took in a deep breath before she slowly opened her eyes. She blinked a few times to find that Li-kun's concerned face was looming above hers. A look of relief passed over his features as she had finally awakened. She had no idea where she was or how she had come to be in Li's presence, but she found herself smiling.

"Kirihara-san, are you okay?"

"Hello sexy. I'm feeling quite more than okay since you're with me," she answered with a coquettish smile.

"E – Eh?"

Slowly reaching out towards him, she slipped both arms around his neck and pulled him towards her. He tried to brace himself against the unexpected force, but Misaki would have none of that. Putting her hand to the back of his head, she pushed down until his lips were crushed against hers.

Eventually, she relinquished possession of his captured lips. He pulled away slightly, confused. Misaki stared into his dazed blue eyes with a predatory gleam in hers. Li was frozen by her unexpected advances, but she didn't care. At the moment, other matters were cause for concern; like the fact that she wanted to feel every inch of his body against hers.

Li was half sprawled above her with his weight supported by his arms and knees on the ground. Smiling seductively, Misaki shifted her position until she was lying underneath his body. Lazily, she stroked her leg against his, which caused him to blink at her a few times. Without warning, she hooked her foot around his, tugging on it and causing him to lose balance.

"Mm, that's so much better," Misaki murmured as she wiggled under the full weight of him pining her to the floor.

"W – Wha…?"

She didn't give him a chance to speak as she pulled his lips towards hers again. He didn't respond, but she had just started with him. She gentled the kiss, nipping at his lower lip. Running her tongue lightly across it, she finally pulled it between her own, applying slight pressure with her teeth. He shifted his weight, causing her to smile in response.

"K – Kiri…" he managed to say.

Continuing with what she started, Misaki wrapped her legs around him and pushed him more fully against her. Deepening the kiss, her fingers raked repeatedly through his hair. When he shifted against her once more, she detangled her legs. Then unexpectedly, she thrust her hips upwards and rolled at the same time. Li found himself pinned to the floor with Misaki straddling across his body.

"Damn, you're sexy," she murmured, her eyes drawn to the opening of his button-up shirt.

Her hands stroked upwards across his chest until she was the one lying on top of him. Her hands went to frame his face as she stared at him before closing the distance between them. Locking lips with him, she couldn't seem to get enough of it. It was some moments before she pulled away to sit up again.

She stared into his eyes, but he only stared back blankly, which caused her to giggle. Her gaze travelled downward to that delectable tease of collarbone which seemed to perpetually taunt her. Carefully, she started to unbutton his shirt to reveal more of his body; his muscles firm beneath her touch.

When the shirt lay opened, out of the way, she gently stroked her palms against his chest, fascinated by what she saw and felt. Eventually she grew tired of this and started to feel him with her lips. The trail of kisses started at his neck and slowly made its way down towards his collarbones, which occupied her for some time. She had just restarted her downward exploration when her movements froze and she slumped against him.

* * *

Lying on the floor of his apartment, Hei's conscious thoughts were slowly returning to him; Misaki still sprawled across his naked chest. He had no idea what had just happened besides the fact that his body felt like it was consumed by liquid fire. Her warm breath across his skin served as a constant reminder that this was real.

She mumbled something and turned to place another kiss on his chest, which caused him to stiffen in surprise. Of all things, this was not what he expected when she had finally awakened. Luckily for him, the effects of the potion seemed to have a limited time of activity; otherwise he would find himself in a difficult position, drawn into her seductive play. He could only hope that its effect wore off completely. He didn't think he could handle much more of this unpredictable behaviour.

* * *

**A/N:** I know I switch back and forth between using 'Li' and 'Hei', but I've done that on purpose, so I apologize if it's confusing. Basically, it's to switch between point of views. When I refer to him as 'Li', it describes how Misaki is seeing things since that's how she knows him as. When I use 'Hei' specifically, it's supposed to indicate his point of view. I didn't know how else to show this distinction.

As for the plot... Lol~ I think after _Summer's Heat_, I have a thing for making Misaki OOC. It's rather fun! :D

Anyways, if you notice any mistakes or have any questions, feel free to ask~ I don't know if it's completely obvious yet how it fits in with the theme, but it should become more obvious as the story continues.


	3. Potion 2: Code Orange

Back with more! Glad everyone was enjoying the previous chapter. Now to see what kind of mischief Misaki is up to next... Teehee~

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* * *

Chapter 3 – Potion 2: Code Orange**

Sighing as she awoke from her slumbers, Misaki didn't feel ready to face another day of work. Her mind was groggy. She still felt tired and on top of that, her back muscles ached. It was going to be a _long_ day; one that she was in no way prepared for.

Sighing once more, she slowly opened her eyes. A sense of shock penetrated through the haze that hindered her mind as she did not recognize the ceiling above her. The fact that she could see clearly upon waking… She never slept with her glasses on. It was an uncomfortable feeling…

Struggling to sit up, she found her hands braced against a futon as a thin blanket folded over onto her lap. Glancing behind, she saw that she had been sleeping on a pillow. At least there had been some comfort. When she looked down at her clothes, she was wearing yesterday's outfit; at least she thought she was.

Desperately she searched her mind for a possible explanation for her current situation, but she came up empty. Vaguely, she remembered going for lunch. Whether she actually ate or not, that was a different matter. Everything after that was a complete and utter blank.

Since she had no answers for her own questions, she inspected the room instead. Perhaps it would provide some clues. From the looks of things, she was in a small apartment. It was sparsely furnished, not even a table or chair in sight. It was clean since there wasn't anything to clutter the space with. The busiest location seemed to be the kitchen as it was full of pots and pans, bowls and cups left drying by the sink.

To her immediate left, there was a closet and behind her a window. She couldn't see around the corner, but there was a hallway, most likely leading to the bathroom. Nothing about the place seemed familiar and she couldn't imagine how she had come to be here; it just didn't make sense.

Again, she tried to think of an explanation. When she finally came out in defeat, she closed her eyes and tried to will away the growing headache. This type of behaviour wasn't like her at all; to wake up in a stranger's home. She couldn't even remember what she was doing last night.

Unexpectedly, someone tapped her on the shoulder and she screamed in surprise. Her eyes flashed open and she found herself staring at none other than Li-kun. He in turn stared back at her in fright as he had fallen backwards, alarmed by her shouting. The two of them stared at each other momentarily before Li finally scrambled to sit properly.

"I – I'm really sorry, Kirihara-san," Li stated, half bowing towards her. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"Uh… Li-kun, how is it that I'm here?" she inquired, unable to meet his gaze.

"You don't remember what happened?"

"No… I just remember going for lunch. After that, I can't remember anything. I don't even recall if I ate anything."

"Oh… You did, sort of," replied Li, scratching at his head. "We bumped into each other at Home Run House. We started to eat, but you weren't feeling well. I offered to walk you to the nearest clinic, but you refused. We did leave shortly after we started eating and you passed out not too long after that…"

"Eh? Maybe that explains the headache…"

"I… I hope I wasn't overstepping any boundaries by bringing you here," he said nervously. "I didn't know what else to do."

"Oh! Oh… O – Of course not," she answered with a blush. "I – I hope I wasn't too much trouble…"

"N – No. I tried to wake you, but you slept until now…"

"Well that explains why I don't remember anything," she said with an awkward laugh. "I… Well, as much as I appreciate your help, I should get to work. I'm sure you have school. I'll be out of your way if you'll just let me use your bathroom…"

"Um… Well… I'm not in a rush and we… We didn't get a chance to finish our meal. Perhaps you would like to have breakfast with me?"

Li looked at her for a few seconds before he quickly looked away, fiddling with the edge of the blanket. His nervousness seemed to exacerbate her own, causing her to fiddle with her feet as she stared at her hands. She wasn't sure what time it was, but it shouldn't make _that_ big of a difference if she was late. Besides, she could say she wasn't feeling well, which was true. She really did want to take him up on the offer.

"I… I would like that," she answered softly while sneaking a peek at him.

His fiddling stopped for a moment, like he was trying to understand what she just said, before it started again. When he glanced up at her, their eyes met and he quickly glanced away while scratching at his head. Misaki blushed in response, her mind still in a tangle with the appearance of Li not helping the matter.

"So the bathroom is just down the corridor," Li finally mumbled. "You can leave that here and I'll clean up."

Nodding her head in response, Misaki pushed away the blanket and slowly stood up. Li stood up with her, carefully watching that she was alright. Seeing that she was steady on her feet, he dropped his arms which he had held out, ready to catch her at any moment. This caused her to blush again as she wasn't used to the attention.

"Um… Li-kun?" she said as she was about to enter the corridor.

"What is it?"

"T – Thanks for letting me stay."

"Oh… It was no problem," he replied with a quick shy smile. "I'll have everything ready by the time you come out. I wouldn't want you to be late for work…"

"Thanks," she murmured before making her way to the bathroom.

When she was gone, Hei quickly cleaned up the room. The pillow and blanket disappeared into the closet. He had been surprised that she didn't remember anything. It must have been one of the side effects.

Regardless, he was glad. Things would have been much more awkward otherwise – the crazy outburst of anger and the seductive aggressive attack… No, it was much better if she didn't remember because he didn't think there would be any possible, logical explanation for that when it came to Misaki Kirihara.

Since she was still here and she agreed to stay for breakfast, it was the perfect opportunity to continue with the mission. The potion was easily slipped into a cup of tea. After that, she would be on her way to work. All he would have to do was monitor her behaviour and plan for the administration of vial three. Other than that, all he could hope was that her triggered behaviour wasn't as over the top as it had been yesterday.

* * *

Sitting at her desk as she stared at her computer, Misaki was trying to concentrate on her work, but it was difficult. She couldn't help noticing the awkward tension in the room. If she wasn't trying to figure out what was wrong with her subordinates, she was distracted by the fact that she woke up in Li-kun's apartment.

When she had walked into the office, everyone had avoided her gaze. They had nervously greeted her before they quickly turned their attention back to their work. For some reason, they were avoiding her, especially Saitou. Usually he was the first to update her. Today, she could barely hear his mumbled good morning before he hid behind his computer. She thought that he would have asked about her disappearance yesterday.

"I'll be back in a moment," she said to the others. "I'm just going to the bathroom."

"Okay…"

She needed a break. She figured she would feel better after she washed her face. Normally, she didn't have any difficulties settling into the regular work pace. For some reason, her mind seemed to be in a million places. Luckily, the headache she woke up with had disappeared.

Entering the bathroom, she locked herself in a stall before taking a seat on the toilet. Resting her arms on her legs, she sighed as she leaned forward to stare at the floor. Perhaps it was due to the unexpected morning excitement, but somehow she didn't think so.

Resting for a minute longer, she finally exited the stall. She grabbed paper towel and wet it with cold water. When she took off her glasses and covered her face with the damp towel, she tilted her head backwards and sighed. It felt so refreshing; the cool contrast against her warm skin. After repeating the process a few more times, she put on her glasses and went to throw away the garbage.

"_Was I always this way?"_ she thought to herself, catching a glimpse of her profile in the mirror.

Leaning across the counter, she pushed her face towards her reflection. Carefully, she examined her features. Her skin looked pasty and unhealthy. There was puffiness under her eyes along with a few wrinkles. She never remembered seeing them there before. Her hair was long and shapeless, tied back into a low ponytail and she couldn't help wondering why she never cut it.

"_I should get back to work."_

Shaking away the disturbing thoughts of reality, she headed back to the office. After all, she had already skipped a portion of the previous day. She wasn't even sure if any of the others had informed the commander since they seemed to be in an odd mood.

When she made it back to the office, she glanced over at her subordinates. They glanced at her briefly before continuing their work. Instead of making her way to her desk, Misaki slowly wandered towards Saitou. He glanced up at her when she stood over him, but wordlessly looked away.

He was frantically typing away on the computer and Misaki didn't like that. She quickly pressed the power button on his screen and it turned black. When he glanced at her in surprised, she smiled lightly and leaned against his desk. He looked away as she seemed content to stare at him, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Ne, Saitou."

"W – What is it, Chief?" he inquired nervously.

"Do you think I'm pretty?"

"Eh?"

"I'm not getting any younger," replied Misaki. "I was wondering what you thought. I think women try to be beautiful. So do you think I am?"

Blanching in response, Saitou turned to stare at Kouno helplessly. The other three were just as shocked as he was, staring at the chief with wide eyes and mouths hanging open. When he finally glanced back at her, she seemed to be waiting for his response. Swallowing audibly, he had no idea what to make of the question.

"Y – Yes, of c – course you are," he stuttered.

"That makes one of us I suppose."

"C – Chief?"

"Do you know what else I've always wondered about?" she asked, not hearing him.

Shaking his head in response, Saitou turned to look at the others again, but they were still in a daze. He couldn't make sense of this. Just yesterday she had snapped his head off for informing her about Contractor activity. Now she was asking personal questions, something that she had never done before.

"I don't understand it," Misaki started saying. "You're a hard-working man. Perhaps not the most brilliant, but you're dependable and loyal, especially when it counts. So why is it that you don't have a wife yet, Saitou?"

"Eh?"

"I know you're not the most handsome man, but surely the good qualities of your personality make up for it."

Flushing with embarrassment at her analysis of his eligibility, Saitou wasn't sure if she was truly looking for an answer. The first question had been awkward enough, but there were just no words to describe his current feelings. Slowly looking up at her, it was to find that she wasn't gazing at him. Instead, she had a distracted look on her face.

"Another thing."

Saitou swallowed, hoping she didn't bring up another awkward question. He wasn't sure how much of this he could take. Something was clearly wrong with her since she was behaving completely out of character; the second day in a row at this point.

"Otsuka…"

"W – What?"

"She always rushes out of here on weekends. I mean, what could possibly be that important that takes place _every_ week," Misaki commented. "I'm sure she would have said something if she had a boyfriend."

Misaki glanced at her and she stared back, her mouth still hanging open. Uncertain if she was supposed to reply to that or not, she finally forced herself to close her mouth. That was something she never talked about at work since she knew that the others would not be interested.

"And Kouno," Misaki continued, seeming to be in the middle of a mental regurgitation, "I wonder if he actually succeeds or not."

This time, she looked at Kouno. He didn't reply and Misaki could only tilt her head as she examined his features. The process seemed to last forever before she eventually crossed one leg over the other. Shaking her head in response, she turned to gaze out the window.

"Part of me wants to think that he does. He's not terrible on the eyes. You would think that he could score with the ladies at the clubs," Misaki stated. "But at the same time, I think it's hard to believe. There must be someone who wouldn't mind jumping into his pants…"

Not believing their ears, they could only continue staring at her. The day was already weird to begin with, but it only seemed to get weirder still. At this rate, nothing would get done, but it didn't seem like the chief was finished with asking every inquisitive question she could think of.

In fact, that was exactly what happened. They had spent the remainder of their shift listening to all the questions that Misaki could think of; all the things that boggled her mind were shared. There had been things like what would happen to the team if Matsumoto decided to retire, to what cigarettes tasted like, to what it would take for Kanami to get off her case about shopping, to why Commander Horai always wore white gloves, even when he was indoors.

Eventually, it all ended when Saitou glanced at his watch to see that the shift was over. When he pointed it out, the Chief finally made her way back to her desk. There, she resettled herself and began to stare at her computer. Quickly, he packed up his stuff and shut down the computer, cuing the others to do the same.

* * *

Sitting in front of the TV with a beer in hand, Misaki sighed softly as it had been such a long day. Even so, she had to be thankful that she worked with such a wonderful team. Each of them had stayed at their desks, hard working. They had only left for bathroom breaks and lunch.

It hadn't been super busy, but she had a feeling that they had accomplished a lot. How could it be any other way when everyone had concentrated on their tasks? As a result, she didn't have anything to worry about. A day that had started off with a pleasant surprise had also ended on a good note. She couldn't ask for much more.

* * *

**A/N:** Just a reminder of the POV switches with the mentioning of Li/Hei. I'm trying to avoid it as much as possible, but sometimes it's difficult because I don't want to drop some of the details.


	4. Potion 3: Code Yellow

**Chapter 4 – Potion 3: Code Yellow**

"Good morning."

"Chief…"

"Excellent work done yesterday," she stated with a slight softening of her features. "I trust you will work just as hard today."

"Uh…"

Saitou and the others glanced at each other in confusion. Her words of praise didn't seem to match with the actual events of the previous day. None of them had finished their tasks. They had been stupefied by her questions, to the point that they hadn't done anything. On top of that, she had talked their ears off until it was time to call it a night.

She didn't notice their confusion as she had already settled in front of the computer and pulled out a stack of reports to review. Within a few minutes, she was hard at work, the epitome of the Chief they were accustomed to seeing. As a result, they could only carry on like usual; ignoring the fact that the last two days had been absolutely bizarre.

* * *

Alone in the office, Misaki was surprised when she heard the door of the office slowly creak open. Otsuka had left for the Observatory. Kouno and Saitou were out on the field following a lead. Matsumoto was finishing up a paper run where he had gone to the archives to dig up some old information. They hadn't been expecting any visitors.

"Li-kun, what are you doing here?" she asked, astonished to see him poking his head in. "Come in."

He carefully glanced around to see that no one else was in the room before he entered. Quickly, he gave her a slight nod before he closed the door behind himself; then making his way to her desk, a tray of drinks in his hand. When he stood in front of her, he pulled out one of the cups and set it on her desktop.

"Um, hello Kirihara-san."

"Hello. What are you doing here?" she asked quietly before glancing at the cup.

"Well, I was in the area… I thought I should come say thank you since you've been very helpful to me."

"Oh… O – Of course I'd help where I can," Misaki replied with a slight blush.

"Yes, well… I – I really appreciate that. It's not much, but maybe… I thought maybe you'd enjoy a hot cup of tea…"

"Thanks Li-kun. T – That was really s – sweet of you," she mumbled, glancing up at him briefly. "How are things going for you?"

"I'm doing well. I – I'm not bothering you, am I?"

"No! No," she repeated, softer the second time. "Of course not. It's good to have a break once in a while."

"Then I…"

Li's voice broke off in the middle of a sentence as the office door had unexpectedly swung open to reveal November 11 strolling into the room. Due to the disruption, Li never finished his sentence. Instead, he seemed to retreat into his shell, holding the empty tray and his drink like a shield in front of his chest.

"Hello Misaki," November greeted cheerfully, his eyes taking in the sight before him. "Did you miss me?"

"Hello," she replied, ignoring the question. "What are you doing here?"

"I had this terrible urge where I just _had_ to come gaze upon your beautiful countenance."

Misaki could only raise an eyebrow as she did not believe one word he said. She wished he would disappear as she was certain Li-kun would have said something important… If only November hadn't suddenly appeared. It looked like he intimidated Li since he had slowly backed away from the desk completely as November approached closer.

"I highly doubt that," she finally stated.

"I would never dream of lying to a woman. Am I interrupting something?"

"N – No… I – I'll be on my way," Li-kun stated when November glanced at him. "I – I'll see you later Kirihara-san. Again, t – thank you…"

"It's not a problem at all."

Nodding quickly, Li glanced at the other man briefly before he retreated out the office door, leaving her alone with November. His nervous response to the man didn't sit well with her, causing her to frown at the foreigner. A slight glare touched her eyes before she cleared her features, planting the stern face she typically used.

"So what can I do for you?" she asked calmly, taking hold of the drink Li left her and taking a sip.

"Who was that young man?"

"Li-kun is a foreign exchange student I happened to meet during one of my cases."

"I would be careful around him. I don't trust him. He's probably hiding something," replied November.

"You expect me to believe you? If you don't have anything more to say, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. I'm quite busy."

Misaki stubbornly tilted her chin upwards just a little, unable to accept his distrust of Li. He had been nothing but kind and charming, to even bring her a thank you drink when she hadn't done much for him. And November was trying to tell her that he was suspicious; she wasn't going to take any of that.

As she calmly drank from her cup, November knew that she didn't believe him. Her gaze told of her defiance so he let the matter drop. After all, he had not come here to argue, uselessly, over who Li was or wasn't; if that was even his real name.

"Whatever the case, pack your things," November instructed with a grin.

"What for?"

"We're going out – you and me."

"Going out where?" Misaki asked incredulously.

"Where else? On a date!"

* * *

Misaki glanced at her companion warily. She knew she shouldn't have trusted the man. After all, he was also a Contractor. Even so, it was unusual for him to seek her out, usually with a reason. He just never stated it matter-of-factly like a normal person as he liked to do things in circles, but still provide some implicit answer.

He hadn't said anything about where they were going; just calling it a date as he must realize that his light-hearted manner towards these things would bother her. During the car ride, he had chatted about the weather and random bits of news. When she had tried to ask what his purpose was, the only response she received was his infamous enigmatic smile.

"Now are you going to tell me what's going on?" Misaki asked, somewhat impatiently as they were wandering side by side in a residential area.

"Now, now. Don't be so impatient."

"Just tell me what's going on!"

"You're going to take a nice, leisurely stroll with me; take a break from work," November replied calmly.

"I don't have _time_ for this."

"Sure you do," November answered with a grin. "You're already here."

"Well is there a significance to this here?" she inquired, refusing to give up.

"In due time."

Huffing slightly, Misaki knew he wouldn't speak before he felt inclined. It wasn't so much that he came to find her; it was the fact that he had poor timing. Though she had been surprised by Li-kun's visit, she had hoped to speak with him a little longer; potentially plan another time where they could get together. And yet the MI-6 agent had to interrupt before they had gotten anywhere.

Taking a side glance at the man beside her, Misaki inwardly sighed. Realistically, she knew he had something to share with her. She just wished he wouldn't orchestrate things like this; making everything a big mystery; to build up suspense and anticipation before the big reveal.

"What information have you gathered on KK-638?"

"Hm? Sorry, what did you ask?" Misaki inquired, drawn away from her thoughts by his unexpected question.

"KK-638. What have you gathered on him?"

"KK-638? I don't recall any information from the Observatory; at least not yet. Is he your latest target?"

"Perhaps. His last known whereabouts was in Arakawa and we haven't been able to find him," replied November, losing the playful attitude.

"So what do I need to know?"

"Nothing so far, especially if he hasn't been active. If he is, your team won't be enough to handle him."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Misaki demanded, offended by the implications.

"We know you're good at what you do. We wouldn't liaison with you if that weren't the case. But his capabilities are beyond anything you have imagined."

"Worse than BK-201?"

"No, not worse than Mr. BK-201, but I would say on a similar level," November replied seriously. "If you ask me, he's out there to claim the same fame as the Black Reaper."

Misaki stopped walking and turned to look at him. He stopped and did the same. It wasn't the first time he had given her a warning. Even so, she would decide for herself what she wanted to do – if and when that moment was upon them. There was more to this that he wasn't telling her and she wanted to know what it was.

"I wouldn't lie to you about something like this," November stated calmly. "I would have nothing to gain from it."

Clearly, she didn't believe him and he didn't blame her. Misaki's eyes narrowed slightly as she stared up at him. Still, he smiled at her, the typical response he gave in any and every situation. Eventually, she turned her gaze away from him to look at something else.

"Misaki?" November asked when she didn't reply for a few minutes, still staring at something else.

When he turned his head to follow her line of sight, he found her staring at a small residential playground. It hardly seemed like the type of thing to fascinate someone like her. She was all work and no play. If there was any sense of play within her, November didn't think it would encompass a children's play zone.

Finally, she turned to look at him, leading to a sense of shock that overcame him. Misaki smiled brightly, her entire face illuminated as her eyes sparkled with a glow of enthusiasm. It wasn't the same Misaki who had been with him mere moments ago.

"Come on, let's go," she exclaimed, grabbing his hand.

"W – What?"

Grinning up at him, Misaki pulled him along as she dashed towards the playground. The weather was warm and they were outside enjoying it. It made sense to have fun, relaxing and letting go. Besides, there was no one there so it wasn't like they were going to disrupt anyone.

She pulled him towards the slide and turned to gaze at him expectantly. In return, he gave her a blank stare until she motioned for him to go up the ladder. His features became clouded with confusion, but she didn't seem to notice as she began to pull him towards it.

"Come on. Go up," she urged.

"Why?"

"Obviously so you can go down it! Don't you people have playgrounds over there?"

"Of course we do," he replied, not seeing the correlation between that fact and his current situation.

"Then go up! Or do I have to start by example?"

Again, November stared at her dumbly, causing her to shake her head in disbelief. Pushing him out of the way, she clambered up the short ladder and settled at the top of the slide. With one eager pull, she came zooming down the slide, grinning to herself.

"Okay, so now it's your turn," she stated, coming back around to the ladder.

"You want me to do what?"

"Don't be such a spoilsport! You can always clean your suit if you get dirty. Now up!"

Looking at her dubiously, November could only shake his head in disbelief as he found himself making his way up the ladder. It was hardly suitable for him. When he sat down, he got stuck since the slide wasn't wide enough. Following her example, minus the enthusiasm, he found himself isolated in the middle as he couldn't slide all the way down; this causing Misaki to laugh.

"Okay, so maybe the slide wasn't the best choice, but you can't say that you don't fit on the swings."

"And why are we doing this?" November inquired as he had been forced to extract himself from halfway on the slide, coming off over the edge.

"Because it's fun! Race you there!"

Before he could say anything else, Misaki dashed across the playground towards the two swings, leaving him alone by the slide. He had no idea why she was behaving this way or how the change to her attitude came about; though one thing was certain – this was a strange experience. He had never seen her act this way and he wouldn't have imagined it possible, even in his wildest fantasies.

"Hurry up!" Misaki yelled. "I can't have a competition by myself!"

Frowning slightly, November forced his feet forward. He took a seat on the empty swing and turned to look at Misaki. She responded by smiling brightly before she started to push off against the ground. Her legs extended as she swung forward, feet underneath her as she swung backwards; slowly gaining momentum with each arc.

"Better hurry or you'll never be as high as me!" she exclaimed cheerfully.

"Seriously?" November muttered to himself. "I have no idea what has gotten into her, but I can't believe that I'm actually about to do this…"

He started slowly as he brought his legs forwards then back, forwards then back. As he was getting the hang of it, he quickly caught up to her pace as she had stopped, just letting the swing take its natural pace. Eventually, he turned to look at her; to find that she was watching him with a peaceful expression on her face, her hair flying up and down with the motion.

"See? Isn't this fun?" she asked. "The warm sunshine mixing with the cool breeze against our face."

"I suppose."

* * *

"That was so fun!" Misaki gushed as she was sitting on the park bench next to November. "It was such a nice suggestion that we come out for a walk."

"That wasn't why I really called you out."

"Oh really? What was it about then?"

"KK-638," he reminded her.

"KK-638? Oh, I'm sure things will be fine," she stated calmly. "So, are you hungry?"

Unprepared for her response, November stared at her, unable to believe the words coming out of her mouth. It was odd enough that she wanted to play on the playground… The true Misaki Kirihara he knew would never downplay the severity of Contractor-related work.

"Are you hungry? Let's go somewhere to eat!"

"Don't you need to get back to work?"

"I suppose," answered Misaki," but people still need to eat. I'm never going to be able to do anything if I don't fuel up first."

"I… I think I'll pass."

"You're not hungry?"

"I'm fine," November answered. "I'll drive you back to the office and you can drag one of the others with you to eat."

"Aww, really? I was hoping you would stay with me since I've been enjoying your company!"

"I'm afraid not this time."

Misaki pouted just a little before she grinned at him again. Any other woman and November would say that she was flirting with him. But with her? It was downright creepy. If it was natural, somehow, then things would have been different. The fact of the matter was that it wasn't natural – the instantaneousness of her change; one minute frowning over KK-638 and the next grinning and excited about a playground.

Though he declined the offer of getting a bite to eat, he still needed to drop her off at the office. This meant that they had to walk back to the car; all the while with Misaki chattering about this or that. For November, it was quite disconcerting and he couldn't help wondering about what the source of this attitude change was.

* * *

**A/N:** Another chapter down... So anyone starting to see how the theme is coming into play? :)


	5. Potion 4: Code Green

**Chapter 5 – Potion 4: Code Green**

Strolling towards Home Run House, Misaki couldn't help but wonder if she would meet Li-kun. It had been a few days since she last saw him when he came by to visit at the office. She wished she had the opportunity to plan something, but November had dropped by unexpectedly and interrupted them.

Sighing softly, she couldn't help dragging her feet as she walked. There was so much she couldn't remember lately; the main one the time she had met Li at the restaurant. That was what he told her and he had no reason to lie about it. She just wished she could remember it for herself instead of relying on another's explanation. Li-kun would have seen things differently than if she was watching and living in the moment herself.

"_Cheer up,"_ she told herself. _"There's going to be a next time."_

She tried to force a sense of enthusiasm into her steps, but failed miserably. That day wasn't the only one she couldn't remember clearly. The day after that had been somewhat of a blur. When she tried to recall what she did, her mind blanked completely. The things she thought she finished were not yet, unexpectedly. She couldn't help thinking that she was becoming overly stressed; the fuzzy memory loss a dramatic side effect.

"-rihara-san! Kirihara-san!"

Startled out of her thoughts by someone calling her name, Misaki glanced around anxiously to see who it was. Her features relaxed even as her mind went into a state of panic. Though she had complained about not remembering their earlier encounter and hoped it would happen again, she didn't think she would see Li-kun so soon.

He smiled slightly as he wandered out of the park and headed towards her. Despite the short distance between them, he shoved his hands into his front pockets as he closed the distance. He seemed to be watching her, causing her to glance elsewhere; at the expanse of skin exposed beneath his white button-up shirt.

"Kirihara-san," he said. "What are you doing here?"

"I – I thought I'd come grab a bite to eat since I'm taking a break from work," she answered, hoping she wasn't blushing as she was staring.

"Eh? You also work on a weekend?"

"Not always, but I haven't finished all my work…"

"Oh… Are you having difficulties?" inquired Li.

She glanced up at him as she heard concern in his voice. He gazed back calmly for a moment before he scratched at his head and glanced away. She opened her mouth, wondering if she could tell him about the latest events – the problems with her memory – but closed her mouth last minute and decided against it. After all, she didn't want to burden him with her problems.

"Ah, not really," she finally answered. "Maybe just a tad tired."

"That's not good, Kirihara-san," he stated, turning back to look at her. "You need to take better care of yourself."

"Thanks for your concern Li-kun, but I'll be okay. Would you like to join me for lunch? According to what you told me, I never did get to finish my meal."

"Uh… Oh! Okay," he replied, "but um…"

"What is it?"

"Well… There's this other place nearby that friends told me was good, but I didn't want to try it by myself…"

"Why didn't you go with them?" Misaki asked.

"I was invited, but I was busy. And um… Well, they're a little scared by how much I eat…"

Misaki chuckled as he scratched at his head, casting a sheepish glance her way. She couldn't imagine how much that amount was, but she understood how he felt. After all, she had been on the receiving end of such disbelieving comments many times before. Not to mention that Kanami had always teased her about it, for as long as she could remember.

"Then let's go together. We can always come to Home Run House another time."

"That's true."

Misaki flushed as she realized the implications of her words, but Li-kun didn't seem to notice as he led the way. Thankful that he didn't say anything else, Misaki tried to relax as she followed. Normally calm and collected, she wished she could retain even some of that behaviour, but it never seemed to be the case when she was around him.

* * *

Hei watched as Misaki settled in the seat across from him. Despite Yin's words initially, he still needed her help as he couldn't possibly track her every movement on his own. So far, he had given her three of the potions and now was his opportunity for the fourth.

Luckily, he had caught her in time. When Yin had informed him of her decision to come to Home Run House, he knew he had to intervene. After all, the owner was still miffed by her angry outburst – something she didn't recall doing. The owner had ranted at him the last time after the only other customer had left.

"Does anything sound interesting?" Hei asked, reverting back into character.

"Hm… They all sound good. Which ones were recommended by your friends?"

"Um… I think the katsudon, oyakodon, the soba… Oh! And the lunch specials too."

"Maybe I'll try a lunch special to start with," Misaki said after looking at the ones he mentioned. "I can always order more if I need to."

"Yes, that's true. And… And we could always share if we need to," Li said shyly.

Misaki glanced up in surprise to find him gazing at her and she blushed as she quickly nodded her head in reply, avoiding his eyes. She murmured something incoherently before she buried her nose in the menu, trying to cover up her embarrassment at reacting so dramatically to his words.

* * *

"Oh, I am completely stuffed," Misaki stated as she sat back against her chair.

"Me too. Do you want dessert?"

Misaki chuckled at Li-kun's words as it seemed like he had a second compartment in his stomach for sweets. Between the two of them, they had ordered five lunch specials, four rice dishes and a bowl of soba, just to try. Not to mention that each lunch special came with a large helping of rice, a bowl of soup and salad…

"Hm… Well maybe in a little bit," Misaki answered. "I'm too full to even move right now."

"We could take a walk and go to a dessert place after. I'm sure there should be something nearby," Li suggested.

"Okay, sounds good to me. If we can just get the bill…"

Li nodded and waved to the owner of the restaurant. She glanced at them with anticipation, a little disappointed when they asked for the bill. With just the two of them, they had generated more business than she typically saw all afternoon. Not to mention, they actually finished everything they ordered.

"Here you go," she said with a smile, leaving it on the table. "Feel free to come by anytime."

"Thanks. The food was delicious."

"Thanks."

Li reached for the bill when the owner left, but Misaki beat him to it. When he looked at her expectantly, she only smiled in reply before digging into her purse. She pulled out cash to cover the entire cost, leaving him mystified as he knew for certain that he ate at least double what she did.

"K – Kirihara-san… What about my share?" he inquired nervously. "How much am I supposed to pay?"

"Oh, don't worry about it. You're a student. You should save money where you can. I don't mind at all."

She turned to gather her things and Hei narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched. Did the potion already kick in? She hadn't blushed or mumbled which was her typical response in a slightly suggestive situation between the two of them. Now she wasn't even the slightest bit disturbed by the latest exchange.

"Are you ready?" she asked, her purse slung over her shoulder.

"Ready when you are."

"Okay. Since I treated for lunch, you can treat when we go for dessert. Sound fair?"

"S – Sure, I suppose," he answered.

Nodding and smiling in response, Misaki led the way to the exit, thanking the owner on her way out. She sighed contentedly and stretched for a moment as they stood outside of the small restaurant. Then, she turned to gaze up at him.

"After you," he said, not sure where they were going.

Smiling, she slipped her arm through his, the two of them hooked at the elbow. He tried to pull away gently as he wasn't sure what she was getting at, but she only tilted her head slightly, a look of confusion briefly passing over her features.

"You're not ready to go?"

"A – Ah… Yes, I am."

"Then let's go," she stated, still latched onto him.

* * *

Hei snuck a glance at his companion and couldn't help wondering if she was thinking about anything. How did these potions work anyways? So far, they had different effects, different durations, different onset times and even different side effects. More importantly, what was the Syndicate up to with manufacturing them and testing them on people like Misaki Kirihara?

The two of them were still strolling arm in arm as she hadn't released him yet. Normally, she would have been too shy to even talk to him properly, let alone touch him in any way. Now, after the potion kicked in, she was content. Not overly cheerful like she had been after the third potion, nor sad or pessimistic.

She didn't speak much, only giving random observations when she did. It wasn't like he was complaining about that; far from it. He rather deal with her how she was now, rather than how the MI-6 agent had to. In a way, it was kind of enjoyable; a comfortable silence; so normal.

Eventually, she turned to look at him and so he did the same. Still not saying anything, she only tightened her grasp on his arm, drawing him closer. Lifting an eyebrow in response, she smiled and turned her attention back towards their surroundings. Again, this made him question how the potions worked – what it did to her mind, her mood and her memory.

"Oh!" she exclaimed suddenly, startling him from his train of thought.

"Hm?"

"A little girl…"

Confused by her words, Hei turned to look where she was looking, only to find a little girl standing on the middle of the sidewalk, right in their path. She was crying with both hands rubbing at her eyes. Inwardly groaning, he didn't say anything. Of all their luck, they had to come across a lost child…

Misaki slowly untangled her arm from his and put one finger to her lips. All he could do was watch and wait. He didn't really want to get drawn into this. He didn't have anything against children, but tears… They were his worst nightmare as he didn't know how to deal with them.

"We're going to approach her, but I don't want to startle her," Misaki whispered.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"We can't just leave her here. Everything will be alright."

Feeling sceptical about this, Hei only motioned for her to go forward and do her thing. He was more than content to stand back and leave her to deal with the mess. These things always came in steps – first to calm her down, determine where she came from and then either search or wait for her parents.

"Li-kun, stay right where you are," Misaki instructed loudly so the girl could hear them.

He did as he was told. Misaki took a cautious step forward as the little girl pulled her hands away from her eyes to look at them. As planned, she had heard them. Even so, her tears continued to trickle down her cheeks. She wiped at her nose as she had snot dripping out, causing Hei to wince at the troublesome sight.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Misaki said gently, trying to reassure her. "How about we try to find your parents?"

She fought against the tears, slowly subsiding to be replaced by slight hiccups as she started to calm down. Misaki smiled as she knelt in front of the girl, rummaging in her purse for a tissue. When she found one, she lightly dabbed at the girl's eyes to dry her tears.

Hei continued to stand where they had stopped, astonished as he watched. He wasn't certain _what_ he had expected, but Misaki seemed too calm. She wasn't the slightest bit fazed. Perhaps it was due to the effects of the potion, but still… He didn't think anyone who knew her would possibly ever imagine such a scene.

"There we go. We have you all cleaned up. My name is Misaki and that man over there is Li," she stated, turning to point towards him. "He won't hurt you either. Can you tell me your name?"

"I – It's S – Shiori," she replied between remnant sniffling.

"Good girl. Now what happened? Can you tell me that?"

"I – I was with my m – mom at first. W – We had gone to buy s – someth – hing from the store. I – I was following behind her and… And I stopped to look at the f – flowers. B – But when I looked up, s – she was already gone… I – It's my f – fault since I – I wouldn't stay beside her and she was carrying s – so much stuff."

"Even so, we will help you find her. I'm sure she's looking for you right now as we speak," Misaki stated reassuringly, hoping to avoid a second bout of tears.

"B – But how?"

"Well first, we'll head towards somewhere close by that is easily found. Do you remember which way you were going?"

Shiori nodded in reply and pointed in the direction that Misaki and Li had been heading. Smiling for the girl, Misaki stood and dusted off her pants. Taking Shiori's hand, she led her towards where Li stood. He only watched, not saying anything as she had the situation under control in no time.

"So this is Shiori and this is Li," Misaki commented, introducing them to one another.

Without warning, Misaki picked up the girl in her arms, resting her against her hip. Shiori peeked at him shyly before waving. Smiling in response, Hei could only return the greeting. For his sake, Misaki repeated the story of what happened and explained what was going to happen.

"Okay. We couldn't possibly just leave her here."

"Exactly. Do you mind?" Misaki inquired.

"Mind? No, of course not."

"Good."

She shifted her weight and handed Shiori to him, causing him to stare at her in confusion. When he was slow to respond, she indicated with her head for him to take her. Slowly, he settled Shiori in his arms. Somehow, he had the feeling that he completely misunderstood her question because it hadn't been in his mind that he would be the one to carry her.

She wrapped her little arms around his neck and Hei couldn't help thinking that things were just awkward; her dirty hands holding tightly onto him; the countless tears and the runny nose she had wiped with it; all of it, now being transferred to him. This was not what he had signed up for.

* * *

Waving from where he sat on the bench, Hei was surprised the potion was still in effect. It had been at least an hour since it kicked in which meant that it was longer lasting than the first one. Like the second and third one, this one had a gradual onset as he hadn't realized any changes in her until after they left.

As a result, Misaki had been dealing with the situation where they had found Shiori lost and alone. The two of them had been playing on the playground; one that the girl had recognized since she would frequent it with her mother when they had free time. They had invited him to join, but he had politely declined.

Instead, he had relaxed on the bench, watching as they played on the swings and on the slide. He was still trying to figure out the controlling emotion that this potion had triggered in her. Besides the obvious level-headedness, especially since she was around him as Li, he wasn't sure what other changes there were.

The two of them continued to play until Shiori's mother had appeared; frantic and relieved at the same time. It must have been a troubling experience because the woman couldn't thank Misaki enough. The epitome of cool, she didn't blink twice and reassured her that it was fine. It was only when Shiori turned to wave to him that the mother noticed his presence, leading to another conversation before Misaki finally urged them along.

"What was that about?" he inquired when she rejoined him.

"Oh, nothing much. She thanked me, probably a million times. Then she apologized for ruining our date," Misaki answered lightly. "It wasn't anything."

The fact that she could repeat the woman's words with a straight face and not correct her made Hei thankful that he didn't have to play Li just yet. The potion was still at work in her system, saving him the trouble of pretending to be shy and embarrassed.

"I guess that ruins our plans for having dessert," she said, glancing at her watch as he hadn't responded.

"It seemed like it, but it's not something we can't reschedule."

"True. Shall we head home then?"

"I'll walk you back to your car."

"If you insist," she said with a smile.

Hei stood first and turned to offer her a hand. She took it. As they prepared to leave, he soon found his arm locked around hers once more. He couldn't figure out why she did that. What sort of mood would make her do such a thing? It seemed to throw a kink into his analysis of the situation. Regardless, it wasn't like he could ask and all he could do was do as he said and escort her back.

* * *

**A/N:** So we had a good guess on the theme with the seven deadly sins, but unfortunately that is incorrect. So here's where I explain what's going on :)

Basically, each vial is based on a colour of the rainbow and relates to the idea of colour personality. I chose one or two emotions to be the highlighted effect. I suppose it's kind of subtle since colours might mean something different to each person.

The effects were as follows:  
RED - fiery anger and aggressive lust  
ORANGE - curiosity (kind of a weird one...)  
YELLOW - youthful cheerfulness and optimism  
GREEN - balance and nurture

And for the rest... You'll just have to keep reading to find out! haha~


	6. Potion 5: Code Blue

If you spot any mistakes, please let me know... I've been lazy with the editing this chapter =_=;;

**

* * *

Chapter 6 – Potion 5: Code Blue**

A tender smile touched her lips as Misaki felt herself awakening from her slumbers. Keeping her eyes closed, she stretched underneath the covers, luxuriating in the beauty of a good night's rest. Not only had she slept well, but she had a glorious dream to occupy her thoughts – one with Li-kun in it.

Sighing contentedly, she recalled the details to the forefront of her mind; to relive and memorize them. In it, she had bumped into him on her way out to lunch and they had eaten together at a new restaurant. The food had been delicious and she had stuffed herself full. Even he had been full.

Despite that, he suggested they continue with a visit to a dessert house. The plan had been revised to include a walk; to give her time to digest her food before taking up his offer. Unfortunately, they had discovered a lost child during their adventures; to be side-tracked by the need to find her mother.

Recalling how they had walked with their elbows linked together and her hand resting gently on his arm, Misaki felt a tinge of blush touch her cheeks. If only… But she wasn't even courageous enough to ask him about making plans, let alone something like that. She didn't usually hope to dream of him because sometimes even she was embarrassed by her obsession with him, but to actually have one like that; the only way it would be better was for it to miraculously occur in reality.

Since it was a day off, she took her time in getting out of bed. There was no rush. She wanted to cherish the events of the dream, even if they were only figments of her imagination. Rolling slightly one way and then the other, she buried herself deeper beneath the covers; cocooning her mind and body with the dream and blanket respectively.

It took her another fifteen minutes to emerge; a length of time that would be short for others, but long for her when she was typically up within seconds of waking. Leisurely, she went to the closet to pick out an outfit before making her way to the kitchen. First, she would eat breakfast. The next task on the list would be to shower and freshen up. After that, she wasn't really sure since she hadn't made any plans.

* * *

Misaki was towel drying her hair when she stepped into the living room to hear her phone ringing. She quickly rushed forward to answer it, hoping it hadn't been sounding for long. She had taken her time in the bathroom since she hadn't expected any calls. Without checking the display, she flipped it open.

"Hello?" she said.

"_Misaki, what are you doing?"_

"I just stepped out of the shower a moment ago," she replied, recognizing the voice of her best friend on the other line.

"_Does that mean you're parading around the place naked?"_ teased Kanami. _"That's pretty sexy…"_

"Of course not! I was just drying my hair."

"_So you're almost ready?"_

"I just have to dry my hair. Ready for what? Aren't you calling early, by your standards?" Misaki inquired.

"_I'm at the Observatory. I wanted to talk."_

"Observatory? What for?"

"_We can talk when you get here. How long do you think it'll take you?"_ asked Kanami, ignoring her questions.

"Within the hour."

"_Okay, see you then."_

Kanami hung up before she even had the chance to say goodbye, causing her to frown slightly. That was odd and uncharacteristic of her. It wasn't like her to work on a day off; at least she hadn't heard anything about her working the weekend. As a result, Misaki quickly finished getting ready, preparing for an unplanned day of work.

* * *

"What's wrong?" Misaki asked as she walked into the Observatory to be greeted by Kanami with her hands on her hips.

"Nothing really. I had to supervise an unscheduled check of the system and I wanted company."

"And you called me to come, just for that?"

"Of course," Kanami replied with a grin. "It's not like you had plans to begin with."

"Well, no, but still… Why am I not surprised?"

"Because we're best friends," stated Kanami. "So how have things been on your end?"

"Busy, but not surprising there."

"At least BK-201 hasn't been adding to the problems lately. I haven't seen any activity on his end of things."

"Which makes him difficult to find," Misaki commented." If he was active, it would make it easier to track his movements."

"Are you sure you would _really_ want that? We both know what happens when he's up to something."

"True, but it would be much safer if he was eliminated as a threat," responded Misaki.

"Just be thankful you catch a break so you can continue to chase him full force, when he reappears."

"So true there as well," Misaki agreed with a slight smile.

Kanami didn't say anything as she glanced at her, causing Misaki to wonder what she was thinking about. Normally, she wasn't this guarded around her. After all, they had been best friends for years. Kanami knew her as well as she knew herself and vice versa.

The two of them walked in silence towards the control room where Kanami was conducting a final check. When they entered, the others turned to glance at them, causing Kanami to nod her head in acknowledgement for them to start. As Kanami folded her arms over her chest, attention focused on the system test, Misaki could only do the same.

"How are things going in the office?" Kanami inquired minutes later.

"Didn't you already ask this? I'm fine; it's fine. Busy, but that's normal."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

At this, Kanami turned to glance at her with a knowing look in her eyes. Slowly, every inch of her features was examined by Kanami's piercing gaze, causing her to squirm a little. Eventually, she sighed softly, causing Kanami to raise an eyebrow in response. It was just like her to see through the mask.

"It's not that big of a deal."

"What isn't?" Kanami asked, her cause for concern brought out by Otsuka's visits. "You know you can talk to me about anything."

"I know. It's probably stress that's subconsciously building up. Just, some of the days, my memory seems to be hazy. I don't remember everything I did during the day…"

"What? And you say it's not serious?" Kanami exclaimed. "Misaki, that's terrible. Are you getting enough rest? I know you want to catch these criminals, but you're not going to help anyone if you keep pushing yourself too hard."

"I'm fine. It was only one or two days that it has been like this."

"That's two too many days," Kanami retorted. "You need to make sure you sleep well, eat healthy. Take care of your body."

"Yes mother," Misaki answered with a quick grin. "I'm sure it already passed since I haven't had any problems since. Like you said, it's been quiet on BK-201's end of things so it hasn't been as rushed."

"I suppose that's about all I would get from you in that regards since you never listen to what I say."

Shrugging her shoulders in response, Misaki turned her attention to the screens in front of her and Kanami did the same. The others continued to keep a close eye on the progress of the run. She didn't know how long it took, but Misaki imagined at a minimum of five hours, hence why Kanami had sought out her company.

Personally, she didn't understand the technology; how it really worked. As long as someone was able to tell her who she was chasing and where she was supposed to go, that was all the information she needed. Silence reigned in the room as each person watched their own sections. This was a tedious task, but also one that was necessary.

Looking at the completion status screen, Misaki inwardly sighed as it was only 0.5% complete. It must have been twenty minutes since it started and it didn't look like it was going to move anytime soon. She much rather chase a criminal than be forced to do this. It was amazing how many people were absolutely necessary in order for it to work.

Unexpectedly, Kanami flinched next to her as she uncrossed her arms. Glancing at her friend, Misaki saw that a look of disbelief was on her face. Her eyes squinted as she stared at one of the screens, but Misaki didn't see anything different than how it looked two seconds ago. Then again, she didn't know what these things meant or how to analyze the information.

"What is it?" Misaki finally asked.

"I thought I saw activity from BK-201's star, but it's not there anymore."

"What?"

"Did anyone else see that?" Kanami inquired of the others.

"See what?"

"Activity from BK-201 or was it just my imagination?" she asked.

"I'm sorry, Ishizaki-san. I didn't notice anything."

"I wasn't watching there so I didn't see anything either."

"Maybe it's just me since we were talking about him a while ago," Kanami stated.

"Are you sure? If it's him, I can go check it out."

"I know it was his star, but it only flickered for a second."

"Where do you think it was from?" Misaki asked.

"From Chiyoda. I'm sure it's nothing."

"Even if you think so, it's better if I check it out. After all, he hasn't been active lately," said Misaki. "It could be a sign that he's up to something. I'll let you know if I find anything."

"Thanks. Be careful," Kanami replied.

"Alright. I'll talk to you later."

* * *

Though she said she would check into it, Misaki realized it was easier said than done. Kanami had only been able to pinpoint a ward, but given how much area it covered, it was like searching for a needle in the haystack. By the time she found anything, if she did, the Black Reaper would always be long gone. Despite that, she refused to give up without a fight – figuratively speaking.

She picked one of the busier streets to search. Stopping and parking her car, she got out to search on foot. Perhaps it would take longer, but she had more chances to conduct it thoroughly. Though she knew it to be a near impossible task, she couldn't bring herself to stop. It was in her nature to look into anything and everything BK-201 related, regardless of how big or small it might be.

Slowly making her way down the street, she peeked into stores and upwards at the roofs as that tended to be his favourite vantage point. After all, he could watch uninterrupted with a good bird's eye view of the activity taking place below him. Unfortunately, nothing looked promising.

Another few blocks of empty searching and she was ready to give up. Kanami hadn't been sure and it seemed like a terrible way to waste one of her precious days off. It was better to enjoy it while she had it. The problem there was that she didn't have anything to do, especially since Kanami was busy. She was the one who normally made plans and dragged her along.

Sighing softly, she finally turned to head back to her car. Though the day was still early, maybe she would just head home. Perhaps stop by a place to eat first, though she wasn't keen on eating out alone. That she could decide after she made the long trek back to her vehicle.

Since she was glancing down at her watch to check the time, she wasn't careful where she was going, bumping into someone. Steady hands held her as she found her face pressed against a man's solid check. He quickly backed off as she was steady on her feet, stammering out an apology.

"Eh? Li-kun?" she exclaimed in surprise when she looked up at his face.

"Wha… Kirihara-san! What are you doing here?"

"I just came to check up on something, but it was a false alarm."

"I'm really sorry I bumped into you," he stated. "It's my fault. I should have watched where I was going."

"No, no. I should have been watching my steps. It's not your fault."

"If you really think so. I'm really sorry."

"It's fine. Neither of us is hurt. So… Um, what are you up to?" Misaki asked nervously.

"Me? Oh… Well not much. I was studying earlier and decided to come out since it's nice out. I was going to go home and eat later."

"I… I was going to go eat now… If you don't mind, would you like to join me?"

"Me? But um… Are you sure?" Li inquired, scratching at his head. "I mean…"

"I would like that," Misaki mumbled, blushing at the same time. "It's much better than going out to eat alone…"

"A – Alright then. I could use some food."

Li flashed her a quick smile before he turned to face the same direction as her. She led the way back to her car, rather proud that she had finally asked him out, sort of. The important thing was that he had agreed and she had the chance to spend more time with him.

Though she still felt self-conscious, she tried her best to push away that nervous feeling. It was a good first step and she should capitalize on the moment while she still felt that sense of courage. Glancing up at him as they wandered along the street, she smiled up at him.

"So what should we eat?" she inquired.

"Oh, I'm not picky. Anything you like."

"I'm not that familiar with this area. If you see anything on our way, we could give it a try," Misaki suggested. "Otherwise, we could go somewhere else…"

"Anywhere is fine."

* * *

Sitting across from his empty seat, Misaki felt that nervousness building up within her. At first, she was doing alright as she asked about his schooling; trying to maintain a normal conversation. But when he excused himself to use the bathroom, she was reminded of her dream and everything that happened in it.

"_Stupid. Why did you have to remember it now?"_ she thought to herself.

They still hadn't ordered yet as they had decided to try a local izakaya they passed by. Li-kun had said he had never been to one before. Clenching her hand into a fist on her lap, she dragged her eyes away from his side of the booth and fastened her gaze on the menu.

"Did you decide what you wanted?"

She glanced up, startled as she had been too wrapped up in her inner dilemma, not noticing that he had returned. Giving him a slight smile, she slowly shook her head. He slid into his seat before opening the menu, joining in on the search for something that sounded good.

"There's too much to choose from," Misaki forced herself to say, hoping he didn't think it odd that she took so long to speak.

"Yes, I can see that. Everything sounds good."

* * *

As half empty plates were sitting between them, Hei stopped eating momentarily to glance at his companion. Something about her was different today and he couldn't pinpoint what it was. When he had first bumped into her, she seemed normal. There was a slight shyness to her question, but nothing like her usual behaviour around Li.

After they picked a place to eat, she seemed more like the typical Misaki he was accustomed to dealing with. The sense of nervousness seemed to return for a bit, but gradually it was gone again. All this was even before he had administered the potion into her drink.

His chance had come when she had left the table to use the ladies' room. He was starting to think he would have to think up a dramatic trick when she excused herself. While she was gone, he mixed it in. He hoped that there were no adverse side effect she decided she wanted to drink umeshu with fresh grapefruit juice added to it.

It had been twenty minutes since she drank it all, even requesting a second glass, yet nothing. There weren't any changes to her behaviour that he noticed. She seemed to talk and smile more than usual. Unfortunately, he couldn't determine if it was an effect of the potion since she had somewhat been like that from the start.

"Here," Misaki said, placing a piece of meat on his plate. "There's plenty more, so don't be shy."

"Thanks," he replied.

"So what do you think so far?"

"Eh? About what?"

"The izakaya. You said you've never been to one before," Misaki stated. "Do you like the food?"

"Oh! Yes, it's delicious. Most likely somewhere I wouldn't go by myself though."

"True. I don't think I would either. There's something very enjoyable about sharing a meal with precious company," she replied.

Hei wasn't sure if he was supposed to pretend to be shy, as that was how Li would have reacted to her words. Because he couldn't read her mood properly, he wasn't sure how to react. She didn't blush, only smiling at him as she gazed into his eyes.

"Thank you," he replied, deciding to forego the act. "The food is delicious and the company is excellent. I couldn't have asked for more for my first experience."

"Yes, I've been having a lot of fun too. I think it would be lovely if we could do this again some time."

"Of course. Whenever you're free and feel like going out to eat, I'll make sure I'm available."

"Food. The perfect way to a man's heart through his stomach," she replied chuckling. "Well then, eat up! There's still a lot in front of us and I can't eat it all by myself.

Making his way home after escorting Misaki to her car, Hei still couldn't figure out what exactly happened. They had met up as he had planned it. They went for food and she had taken the potion. So what went wrong? Did the potion only have such a minimal effect as to take away her nervousness?

A few times she had said things with a straight face; things she normally wouldn't have said. Otherwise, he didn't see any major changes that he could pinpoint as an effect of the potion. If anything, the potion seemed quite similar to the one before this, but that wouldn't make sense to have two exactly the same.

Not the first time he thought about this, but he couldn't help wondering once more what the Syndicate was up to. Why make this set of potions and test it on Misaki Kirihara of all people? He was no scientist, so surely there would be a better way.

Why were there so many potions to begin with? Didn't they have better things for him to do like hunt down enemies? All in all, he was no closer to answer the questions he originally had, but one thing was for sure; that was five down and two more to go.

* * *

**A/N:** BLUE = trustworthy and sincere.  
Inside secret that Hei doesn't know about... haha~ The potion worked, but it didn't seem like it since it's close to Misaki's true personality anyways, hence why it only seemed like she lost her nervousness.

An izakaya is like the western equivalent of a pub where you eat and they serve alcohol. Mostly, the food is like finger food; dishes that are easily shared. Also, umeshu is plum liqueur. If I missed explaining anything, feel free to ask :)


	7. Potion 6: Code Indigo

I hope this will cheer you up, Dear4Life ^^

**

* * *

Chapter 7 – Potion 6: Code Indigo**

Slowly packing up her belongings, Misaki sighed. The first day back at work after a break and it was over like that. The others had already left since it was well into the evening. Normally, she would stay longer, but there just wasn't much for her to do; nothing urgent that warranted the extra overtime hours.

Sighing again, she wondered if the dream had anything to do with it. For the second time in a row, she had a dream where she spent time with Li-kun. It had been absolutely wonderful as they had chatted and laughed over an early supper. He had even walked her to her car before they parted ways.

She should have offered to give him a ride, but she didn't. It would have been an excellent opportunity to spend more time with him. In retrospect, it felt so cold and empty, having to return alone to her apartment; a place where no one would be waiting for her.

She pushed away the sensation of melancholy. There was no point dwelling on what she hadn't done when it wasn't real to begin with. All she could do was take action when she had the opportunity to – nothing more and nothing less.

With one last glance at her cleaned workspace, she slung her purse over her shoulder before leaving. Work time would come again tomorrow and her routine would continue like it always did. She would probably feel better after taking a long hot shower and drinking some icy cold beer.

When she made her way into the lobby of the building, she was shocked to see Li-kun waiting by one of the windows. His back was towards her, but she would recognize him anywhere; the familiar slouch, the short ebony hair, the white button-up shirt… But what was he doing here?

"Li-kun, what are you doing here?" she asked, giving voice to her thoughts when she was standing behind him.

"Oh! Kirihara-san! Good evening."

"Good evening… How did you get here? Did something happen?"

"I took the train and walked here," he answered. "Something happened?"

"No, I'm asking why you're here."

"Ah… Well, maybe it's kind of presumptuous of me," he started to say, "but I really enjoyed our time together yesterday. I thought that we could do it again. That is, if you don't have plans?"

"Eh? Do what?"

"We went out for supper yesterday. You even said it would be nice if we could get together again…"

"You mean that's not… I mean… I thought that was a dream I had," she mumbled, blushing in embarrassment.

"A dream? Why would you think such a thing?" Li asked in confusion. "I bumped into you in Chiyoda and we went to eat there."

"I… I'm sorry. My memory has been getting mixed up lately… But I'd love to go!" she exclaimed hurriedly, hoping he didn't ask any more questions regarding that.

"Excellent. I even thought of somewhere to go. Oh… If you don't mind me choosing the place."

"Ah, no of course not."

Li-kun smiled at her and she smiled back weakly. He turned to exit the building, leaving her to follow behind. For the life of her, she couldn't think of one plausible reason why she would forget something as important as this. It had seemed so real and detailed, but she hadn't dared to believe that it was actually reality…

* * *

"So what do you think so far?" Li asked.

"It's really good. I didn't even know there was a place like this so close by."

"I um… I purposely asked my friends where a nice place to eat would be; somewhere in this area."

"Oh," Misaki replied, blushing as he was doing the same. "Thanks. It's really nice."

He glanced into her eyes, quickly smiling before turning his attention to the plate of food in front of him. Usually he was somewhat oblivious, making her feel extra self-conscious. Did this mean that he was interested in her? They hadn't been around each other that often, but it would be nice if her interest in him was reciprocated.

More importantly than that, why couldn't she remember everything about yesterday? If they had gone out to eat, she should remember. She did remember; but it seemed to be in the form of a dream rather than a fixed memory of reality. Things hadn't been stressful at work, so what other explanation was there?

The two of them ate in silence as he did not speak and Misaki couldn't think of anything to say. Her thoughts continued to alternate between the events of yesterday and her current situation. Assuredly, she had been out with Li, but she couldn't remember everything. And now? Was it too soon to call it a date?

Peeking up at her companion, he didn't notice her watching until moments later. When he finally sensed her eyes upon him, he looked up. Scratching his head, he mumbled something which she didn't hear before he renewed his efforts of eating, effectively increasing her state of nervousness a hundred fold. Li had never acted this way in front of her before.

"K – Kirihara-san?" he asked moments later.

"Hm? What is it?"

"Are you o – okay?"

"I'm fine," she answered, confused by his question.

"A – Are you sure? Um… I'm really sorry! I'm not good at this, so please don't cry!"

"Cry?"

Baffled by his statement, she lifted her fingers to her eye. Much to her amazement, there was wetness and a tear even leaked out to trickle down her cheek. Quickly, she wiped it away. She wasn't feeling sad, so why would she cry? Unless they were tears of joy?

"I… That's so weird," Misaki finally stated. "My eyes just started to water by themselves."

"Um… Maybe it's something you ate?"

"I didn't taste anything out of place."

"So you're okay? It isn't because you think I'm bad company?" Li inquired to double check.

"Of course not. I wouldn't think that!" she exclaimed earnestly before glancing away.

"Thank goodness!" he replied with a sigh. "You scared me."

"I'm sure it's nothing. I'm enjoying my time, so don't worry."

Li smiled and Misaki felt herself smiling back. It was true and she had no idea why tears would begin to pool in her eyes. Though they weren't talking much, he was the one to seek her out. That must mean something. Though he didn't outright say he liked her, he was showing some interest and that pleased her.

"So how was work today?" Li asked her, finally trying to start a conversation.

"It was good. Not much has been happening and in my line of work, it's good news. It feels a little odd."

"Really? Why's that?"

"Normally we're kept on our toes from morning to night, so the fact that I didn't have to stay late today is amazing. The others were all able to… Hm? What is it?" Misaki inquired as she noticed that his smile had slipped, replaced by a slight frown.

He bit his lower lip as he wiped at his eyes. Patting gently on her cheeks, Misaki found them stained with wetness again. This time, more tears had leaked free and she didn't even notice it. She wasn't even doing anything dramatic as she was telling Li-kun about her day…

"I… I don't get it," she said with a slight frown. "This has never happened to me before."

"A – Are you sure something didn't happen?"

"I'm positive. I wouldn't react like this, even if something did occur."

Again she wiped the tears away. She felt fine, so why did this keep happening? The fact that she was even crying was beyond bizarre. She couldn't even remember the last time she had a bout of tears overwhelm her. Now this was the second time in a span of five minutes.

Across from her, Li was watching with concern. Misaki smiled, trying to reassure him that everything was okay. This was probably not what he had imagined when he invited her out for supper. Even she wouldn't imagine this type of behaviour for herself.

"Li-kun, I'm fine. It's nothing," she stated gently.

"B – But you're crying…"

She tried to think of reassuring words or even a possible explanation for this occurrence, but nothing came to mind. Instead, she could only sit there and stare at her plate of food as he continued to stare at her. His avid attention made it hard to think, even if he was only doing this because of his concern.

"Li-kun, I'm really…"

Unexpectedly, her voice broke off in a half-sob as a sense of urgent depression flooded her. Tears rushed forth to her eyes, pooling and spilling over onto her cheeks. Misaki held her hands to her eyes, crying into them as the sound of sobbing continued to escape her lips.

A look of misery overcame her features as she peeked between her fingers to glance at her companion. The look of concern had concentrated across his features; a deep furrow forming between his eyebrows as a hint of anxiousness entered his eyes.

"K – Kirihara-san…" he said nervously. "I… I'm really sorry. I didn't th – think it would be too soon…"

As suddenly as the tears had appeared, they stopped. A slight sense of weariness entered her bones, but she did her best to shake it off. She brushed away the residual wetness and sat up straighter; an attempt to ignore the fact that others were looking and that she had just created a scene in public.

"I… I don't know what overcame me," she said honestly, "but it's not your fault. Maybe it was something I ate."

He glanced at her sceptically and she didn't blame him. It was a stupid explanation; one that she wouldn't have accepted either if she were him. Whatever the cause, she was starting to feel it in waves. They were currently receding as sanity was taking full grasp of her consciousness. Even so, she had a feeling that it wouldn't last for too long.

"Um… I'm not feeling well," she said lamely. "Do you mind if we cut our evening short?"

Not answering right away, he watched her as if he were trying to gauge the validity of her words. As he took his time replying, Misaki willed him to answer. Already, she could feel that desperate sense of depression lurking in the darkness, ready to overwhelm her at any moment.

"Perhaps that is for the best," he finally said after a quick glance at the other patrons. "At least let me take you home."

When she nodded in reply, he indicated to the staff that they wanted the bill. It wasn't too much since they had just started eating. Despite that, Misaki was too busy trying to keep the depression at bay that she didn't realize Li had paid for all of it. Any other time and she would have put up a fuss, but currently, she was preoccupied with more pressing matters.

* * *

"Are you going to be okay?" Hei asked.

As promised, he had escorted Misaki home; only to witness two more breakdowns on the way there. She would randomly break out into uncontrollable crying. He knew what the cause of it was – the potion. None of the others had caused such a strange effect as it seemed to activate in stages of progressive strength.

Miraculously, they had made it safely to her apartment as she had been the one driving. Now that they were outside of the vehicle, he had to say it was a relief. Whatever happened, it couldn't be any worse than her breakdowns in the car.

He stood outside of her apartment, watching and waiting. No one gave him instruction manuals with the potions, so he wasn't sure if the effect of it was completely over. Neither did he know how much of this she would remember when morning came.

She gave him a wan smile before turning to open the door. Hei watched as slight tremors shook her hand while she struggled to insert the key into the lock. When her hand slipped, he gently rested his hand on top of hers. With the other hand, he took the key and unlocked it for her.

"Thanks," she murmured before entering.

"It's not a problem. Are you going to be okay?"

She turned to glance at him, her mouth open and ready to reply when another wave seemed to assault her. Out of nowhere, she began to cry, so violently that her legs buckled from beneath her. Letting himself in as she was a quivering mess on the floor, Hei closed and locked her door.

"Kirihara?" he asked. "Can you stand?"

She didn't reply; the only thing she was capable of doing was to cry. Kneeling in front of her, Hei scratched at his head. This was even worse than that time they had come across the lost little girl. At least Misaki had been rational enough and competent enough to deal with it.

Now that _she_ was the one crying, he was at a loss as to what to do. He never was good at dealing with tears, even if they were potion induced. Feeling quite awkward, he tried to pull her up so he could take her inside; at least try to make her comfortable while they waited out the effects.

When he finally got her to stand, she didn't act like he expected her to. Instead of sobbing into her hands, she clutched at his shirt and buried her face against his chest. Stiffening in surprise, he tried to gently pull her away, but she wouldn't let go; her tears quickly staining wetness on his shirt.

"Misaki, let's get you inside," he said.

"No, don't leave me," she begged when he made another attempt to free himself.

This time, she pulled away enough to glance up at him. Unprepared for it, Hei found himself swallowing audibly. She gazed up at him earnestly while her lips trembled ever so slightly. Tears continued to trickle down her face, but she paid no attention to them as her eyes pleaded with him to stay.

"We'll go inside," he stated, not sure if it was even possible to rationalize with her when she was in this frame of mind.

Whatever he had seen before, it all seemed to be a build-up to this moment he was in now. She didn't reply verbally as another full-forced attack on her senses hit. She clung to him as her entire body convulsed from the intensity of her emotions.

Not saying anything else, he slowly walked forward with his arms casually around her to give her guidance. Thankfully, she moved as he had been concerned that she would put up an irrational resistance. They managed to get into the living room before she stopped cooperating.

"Misaki, we're going to make our way to the couch. I need you to cooperate with me."

"No! No!" she shouted, shaking her head vehemently.

"Please. We can't stay here all night."

"No! No!"

Once more, she turned her gaze upon him; her expression completely miserable. Even as she stared at him, she continued to shake her head, her fingers tightening their grip on his shirt. When he didn't say anything else, she buried her face against his chest as she pressed herself against him for comfort.

"Stay with me, Li-kun… Li-kun," she mumbled.

Clenching his hands into a fist, Hei had to fight against the reminders of her body so close to his. When it was under control, he slowly loosened his fingers and held her lightly. He shouldn't be affected by something like this, but he was. Considering their current situation, he wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not.

When he started to move a second time, she followed along and he guided them towards the couch, his original destination. The moment they were sitting down, she huddled more closely, tears still streaming down her cheeks. Whatever they had done with this potion, it was amazing. Despite all the tears she had already shed, there was still an endless source of them – somehow.

"Stay here. I'm going to get you something to drink."

Her fingers tightened and she was shaking her head again, causing him to sigh. When he didn't go anywhere, Misaki loosened her hold on him. Since she didn't say anything, Hei could only awkwardly rub her back, hoping to give her some comfort. He wasn't sure what else to do since she adamantly refused to let him leave her side.

"It'll be okay," he murmured, saying whatever came to mind. "You'll feel better."

As he continued to utter nonsense, he thought she was starting to calm down, though it was possible that another wave would hit. He wasn't sure how much longer she could keep crying, non-stop. When he finally stopped rubbing her back, she pulled away slightly and glanced up at him.

"Li-kun…"

"What is it?" he inquired.

"Li-kun…"

"Yes?"

"Li-kun," she murmured a third time, her vocabulary reduced down to his name.

Slightly shaking his head in disbelief, Hei couldn't believe how powerful and long-lasting this potion seemed to be. A woman like Misaki Kirihara was reduced to nothing but tears, which still continued to trickle down her cheeks, and the capability of only saying his name. None of the others had been remotely close for potency.

"Shh," he said as she stared up at him.

Carefully, he removed her glasses. When he made the move to put it on the coffee table, she grabbed at him, afraid that he was going to leave. She didn't say anything besides his name, but her eyes pleaded for him not to go. When he sat up in front of her again, she loosened her hold on him.

"Li-kun…"

"Shh, everything's going to be fine," he said, lightly wiping the wetness from her puffy red eyes.

If there was one thing to be thankful for, it was the lack of mucus dripping from her nose – something common from bouts of tears. As he brushed his thumb across her cheek, she continued to watch him, her eyes never leaving his.

"Li…"

He responded by leaning towards her, wondering if she was starting to regain conscious thought. She didn't blush or even look away and he didn't think so. Somehow, she was still under its effect yet still saying his name like that… The only part missing was the "sexy".

Slipping his hand behind her head, he gently pulled her closer. He stopped when his lips were a whisper's breath away from hers and she didn't respond – just those earnest eyes staring desperately into his.

"You're a terrible test subject," he murmured, more to himself.

Lightly, he pressed his lips to hers. At first, there was no response. Then her fingers tightened on his shirt and Hei smiled. Gradually, she returned the pressure. Despite being under the influence, it seemed like there was one thing that the potion couldn't compete with – her innate sense of attraction to him.

Gathering her in his arms, he pulled her into him to the point that she was sitting on his lap. In turn, she stroked her hands up his chest until they found their way around his neck. Hei deepened the kiss, both of them oblivious to the fact that she was still crying.

"Misaki," he murmured huskily when he pulled away.

Despite her physical response, her expression was unchanged; those pleading eyes gazing at him. He wasn't sure what he was trying to make sense of. Her gaze begged him to stay next to her and that was what he wanted at the moment. His attempts for rationalization were unnecessary.

With better things to do, Hei started kissing her again. It was much more enjoyable than attempting to make sense of something that already made sense. She wanted it as much as he did, even if her outer appearance was incapable of expressing it. The fact that she responded to his advance was all he needed to focus on.

When he stopped kissing her long enough to get her blazer off, he was surprised she didn't throw herself at him. Her only response was to continue staring at him, like it had been for the last several minutes. She even cooperated by loosening her hold around his neck.

Though she had let him remove it, she didn't seem too keen on that idea as her reluctance to separate from him was still present. He wasn't going to complain about that. He could worry about the clothes later, but since she didn't want to remove them just yet, he could focus his attention on her lips.

Eventually, he was able to elicit a slight moan as he stroked the underside of her breast while sucking on her lower lip. She tightened her hold on him, causing him to grin. This would be so much more enjoyable now that he was the one in control – not that he hadn't been aroused the first time. That was the main driving force since nothing happened.

Releasing her lips, Hei decided it was time to move this to a location more conducive to their activities. He slipped his arms underneath her, carrying her as he stood. She gazed at him momentarily before she snuggled closer, clinging to him. Even still, she had some wetness on her cheeks, but that was the least of his concerns.

Making his way to the bedroom, he didn't bother to turn on the lights as he could see from the illuminating street lights streaming in. He pulled back the covers and placed her on the bed. She protested when he left her side, but he ignored it to pull off her shoes. Tossing them to the side, he kicked out of his own before rejoining her.

Now that he had the opportunity to complete what she started, he was going to take it; a desire he had been suppressing since she hadn't remembered any of her actions from the first potion.

* * *

**A/N:** INDIGO = increased personal thought and exacerbated depression.

Ahaha, so yah... Hei was probably somewhat OOC in this during the date part...? But whatever. I don't care XD This chapter kind of turned out longer than the rest because I kind of got carried away with the idea...


	8. Potion 7: Code Violet

**Chapter 8 – Potion 7: Violet**

Stretching and rolling at the same time, Misaki was slow to awaken from her slumbers. Lying on her side, she sighed softly. She had slept well and she didn't really want to get up just yet. As she was lying there with her eyes closed, images began to flood her mind.

The image of Li surfaced to the forefront of her memory along with snapshots of last night's activities. She recalled the sensations of his lips kissing a trail across her skin; his fingertips stroking flames of arousal along the inner side of her thighs; the melting of their bodies into one with each rhythmic stroke of him inside her…

Misaki's eyes flashed open and she found herself in her own bedroom. The spot beside her was empty, but it looked slept in. Not to mention, she could tell that she was completely naked beneath the covers; a sure indication that everything she was recalling had actually happened.

Blushing as more memories entered her mind, Misaki could not believe that she had been the one to throw herself at him. Though they had gone out for supper together, she never thought that something like that would occur. Despite his shy appearance, he was a passionate and considerate lover.

When she touched her hand to his side of the bed, it was still warm which meant he hadn't been gone for long. Turning onto her other side, Misaki reached towards the nightstand but her glasses weren't there. Trying to sort through the events of the previous evening, none of the memories triggered remembrance of her glasses' location.

Slowly sitting up and pulling the covers with her, she glanced towards the door. It looked partially closed. The sounds coming from the other side indicated that he was in the kitchen. Self-consciously, she climbed out of bed, fully aware of his presence on the other side while she made her way to her dresser. It would be faster to find clean clothes rather than looking for what she was wearing before.

As she slipped into a pair of panties, she became aware of the tenderness between her legs and a vivid recollection of his lips being down there also. Blushing furiously, she quickly found a t-shirt and a pair of pants to wear. Not only had she slept with him, but it seemed like they had been rather busy finding sexual gratification on multiple occasions.

They were both grown-ups, so Misaki forced herself to push aside the embarrassment; there was nothing to be embarrassed about. They had spent the night together and that was normal for people their age. Hoping the colour had faded from her cheeks, she made her way into the living room.

"Li? Have you seen my glasses?" she asked, dropping the formalities consider the latest intimacies between them.

"Misaki? Good morning."

"Good morning," she replied, joining him in the kitchen.

"I'm almost done here, so give me a minute."

Leaning against the counter, Misaki didn't say anything in reply. Though she couldn't see well, she could see well enough to know that he wasn't wearing his shirt. As if it weren't enough that they had slept together, he was now half-naked as he cooked breakfast the morning after.

She squinted her eyes as she watched him put something onto a plate. Whatever it was, it smelled delicious and her stomach grumbled softly. This might not have been something she thought would happen, but it didn't matter. Her heart skipped a beat as Li was both unbelievably sweet and incredibly sexy.

"Okay, so breakfast is ready. I hope I didn't wake you," he said, turning towards her.

"No, not really."

Misaki blushed as he made his way towards her and gathered her into his arms. She found her face resting against his chest and she could hear the sound of his heartbeat. His arms were gently wrapped around her. Smiling softly, she reached up and returned the embrace as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

Neither of them spoke, just enjoying the moment of being in each other's company. Eventually, Li gently ran his fingers through her hair before he placed a kiss to the top of her head. Then he pulled away slightly to look into her eyes, smiling at her.

"What were you asking me before?"

"My glasses. Have you seen them?" she inquired. "I can't seem to find them."

"Oh, those…"

Instead of moving to get them, he lifted up one hand to stroke the back of his finger across her lips. Still smiling, he gently tilted her face upwards with a knuckle at her chin. Without a word, Li brushed his lips across hers, causing her to tighten her grasp on him.

"Come. They're in the living room," he stated as he grinned.

Loosening his hold on her, he took her hand as he led the way to the couch. He didn't release her as he bent towards the coffee table to retrieve her missing glasses. Rather than giving them to her, he slipped them on for her.

"Thanks," Misaki murmured as she stared up at him.

Unexpectedly, he pulled her close up against him as he started to kiss her again. She responded by pressing into him as she wrapped her arms around his neck. This wasn't the Li she had expected, but she could definitely get used to every morning being this way.

"Be careful with that gaze," he whispered in her ear after kissing her senseless. "It's distracting."

"Hm?"

"Breakfast."

"Oh…," she murmured.

Chuckling in response, Li took her hand once more before pulling her towards the kitchen. She gazed at the food in amazement as there were a number of plates waiting for them. The amount of food he had prepared seemed to be more than what was physically possible during the short time he had to make it.

Together, they moved it to the table where Li had already put out two place settings. He refused to let her help herself as he served everything, even going so far as to randomly feed her spoonfuls of food. If she didn't know any better, she would think that she had died and gone to heaven; it was beyond her wildest imagination.

After they had breakfast, she was going to get ready for work, meaning she had to change. Unfortunately, Li had followed her into the bedroom. Despite everything that had happened and was happening between them, she couldn't imagine herself changing in front of him. When she protested about his presence, he feigned ignorance.

"What's wrong?" he asked as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I need to get to work."

"And the problem is?"

"I… I can't change with you in here," she complained.

"What if I don't want you to go?"

"No… Li… Stop it," she murmured as he was stroking his hand slowly up her stomach underneath her shirt. "I have to work."

"Perhaps and I'll let you. You never said you had to get there on time."

To prove his point, he feathered kisses along the side of her neck. She moaned softly as one hand against her hip pressed her more fully into him while the other tickled across her breast. She turned within his embrace and crushed her lips against his.

Groaning, Li swept her off her feet and carried her towards the bed. They made quick work of pulling off their pants before he buried himself between her legs. When he finally collapsed on top of her, he slipped out and rolled to his side. Misaki sighed next to him and he turned to glance at her.

Misaki smiled despite her earlier protests. She thought she would want him less if they had sex, but it seemed to be the exact opposite. Now, she was completely aroused by his simplest touches. Thankfully, she wasn't the only one as it seemed to be mutually effective.

"I really have to work," she eventually said.

"I know, but I wish you didn't."

Li pulled her into his embrace, holding her tightly. Touched that he wanted to spend more time with her, Misaki tilted her head backwards to look into his eyes. She wished the same thing, but it was unavoidable. As special as this all was, she couldn't forget about her responsibilities.

"I warned you once already," he stated after giving her another passionate kiss. "At this rate, you're never going to leave this room. I'll take you hostage."

Grinning, Li slowly released her and rolled out of bed. Sitting up, Misaki watched as he calmly walked around her room, naked, as he gathered up his clothes. Given how he normally was, he seemed like he should be shy, but he wasn't. He watched her the whole time she was watching him as he got dressed.

"If you stay there too long, I might attack you again," he teased.

She quickly scrambled out of bed. Despite the teasing tone of voice, there was a predatory gleam in his eyes indicated that he wasn't joking. Shoving him towards the door, she went to gather her work clothes. She was about to pull off her t-shirt when she saw that he was still in the room.

"Go… Please," she said. "I am _not_ going to change with you in here."

"Meanie. I let you watch me."

"Li!"

"Going, going," he answered, chuckling as he left.

"Geez," Misaki muttered to herself, disbelieving how different he was now and how he was when she normally met with him.

It took her a few minutes to change. When she headed out, it was to find him cleaning up from breakfast. He turned to grin at her as she made her way to the bathroom to freshen up. By the time she was done in there, Li was waiting for her on the living room couch.

"You don't have classes today?"

"Just one class," Li replied lightly. "Ready?"

"Yes."

"I'll walk you down."

"Okay. Do you want a ride home? I'm already late as it is," Misaki offered.

"Hm… Only if you come home with me."

"No, I can drop you off though."

"Then no," Li stated with a grin. "I'll just walk you down."

Misaki swallowed as he gazed at her earnestly, like he was trying to coax her into changing her mind. Closing her eyes, she shook her head, attempting to resist his lure. A squeak of surprise escaped her lips when she felt his hand at her waist.

"We better get going."

"Y – Yes, of course."

They stopped at the entrance to put on their shoes as Li had put them back by the door when he first awoke. He jammed his feet into his while she carefully made sure she didn't step on the back. When they were standing together, Li pulled her in for a quick kiss before unlocking the door.

"You really are full of openings," he murmured lightly.

"Li!"

Laughing as she blushed at him, he opened the door and exited with her following behind. He waited until she had the door locked before leading the way to the elevator. Making their way to the first floor, they reluctantly parted ways at the main entrance.

* * *

Saitou and the others stared at her when she entered the office late, but she didn't notice at all. Instead, she seemed to be glowing as she floated towards her desk. After putting down her belongings, she gave them an airy greeting before settling down to work.

There was no explanation for her late appearance. She didn't give out assignments either, a typical part of their daily routine. All in all, it seemed like she was behaving quite oddly again and no one could figure out why. Given the history in that department, it should pass, but it became a matter of when.

Glancing up from her work, Misaki saw that Saitou and Kouno were sitting at their desks. Matsumoto had left momentarily, but he should be back at any moment. Otsuka had left early since she had a doctor's appointment, meaning the day's tasks were left to the four of them.

* * *

Standing up, Misaki made her way around the desk. She approached Saitou's desk and he glanced up when he noticed her presence. A slight frown touched his features for a second before it disappeared. He pushed away his work, giving her his full attention.

"What is it, Chief?" he inquired when she didn't speak.

"I wnat you to cmoe wtih me, Stioau. Terhe's smoe itmoainrofn taht I need to cechk on. Mtsuaomto and Kunoo can wrok tgteheor if treeh's sehnitmog tehy need to look itno."

"What?"

Saitou stared at her in confusion, causing her to frown. She was being perfectly clear, so what was he having trouble understanding? Putting her hands on her hips, she repeated her instructions; something she hated to do.

"Tereh's ifmaitornon on T4-4M7 taht ndees to be ckeched. The dvire is asorcs the ctiy and I need you to cmoe wtih me. Mtomsutao and Knuoo can wrko tehtegor if tehy rqriuee srpoput. We can be rheaced by pnohe if alsoutlbey nrecasesy."

Instead of replying in the affirmative, he blinked at her a few times. Raising an eyebrow in response, she waited. Still no verbal answer as he finally turned to look at Kouno. When Misaki turned to look at Saitou's partner, he was staring at her with his mouth wide open.

"Waht is gnoig on? It's not dlfuicfit to uadnsertd. Knuoo and Motasmuto wlil saty hree in the ocfife wilhe the two of us go."

Regardless of her reassurance, the two of them stared at her with blank expressions on their faces. Saitou turned to gaze at her, back to Kouno and finally back at her. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. Her frown deepened, causing him to gulp nervously.

"I – I don't understand what you want me to do…" he stated slowly.

"Excuse me? How many times must I repeat myself?" she asked haughtily. "How difficult is it to understand that we're supposed to gather information?"

"Oh…"

"It is rude of you to make me repeat myself _three_ times. Once is more than enough. I expect better manners from both of you. Do I make myself clear?"

Misaki glared at him down her nose as she had her head tilted back slightly; standing in front of him with the grandeur and haughtiness of a queen. When he dumbly nodded his head in reply, she turned with a practiced grace before making her way back to her desk.

"Well, why aren't you going to get the car?" she demanded when she already seated herself and he was still at his desk.

"G – Going…"

She waved her hand with a dismissive motion and Saitou quickly gathered his things before dashing out the office door. When he was gone, Misaki turned her attention to the only other person in the room. Kouno was still gazing at her with that stupid expression on his face.

"Get to work," she demanded icily. "It is rude to stare and close your mouth. You look absolutely ridiculous."

Saitou cast a quick glance at his companion before turning his attention back to the road in front of him. He had a sinking feeling that things would be odd the moment she had walked in and his instincts were correct. He supposed it was better than that time she started asking about his lack of a love life…

The Chief had always been demanding, but not in the same sense she was now. Typically, she expected their best behaviour out of all of them; that they deal with each task both quickly and effectively, professionally. It wasn't unreasonable given the importance of their duty and she always led by example.

After she had spoken in a foreign language, her entire demeanor had changed. She was still demanding, but it was the things that she commanded for that bothered him. He had to drive the car around the corner, a task she normally did when they went somewhere together.

When he noticed she hadn't come down yet, he was forced to park the vehicle and go back up to find her. She was still sitting in the office. The moment she spotted him, she gave him royal hell for taking too long. Unwisely, he stated his opinion, thinking she would have come down already.

This triggered another earful about his duties in escorting her down; opening all doors and clearing the path where she was to walk. He even had to fasten the seatbelt for her when she was seated in the car.

Sighing softly, Saitou cursed his luck. He was always, always, always the one who was picked on first. Last time, she had thrown a raging fit when he called about Contractor activity. Then there was the incident with her never-ending questions and now there was this… It was one of those days where it would have been better if he called in sick and stayed home.

The worst part was that she wouldn't remember any of this; something he would bet on since it was the exact same those other times. All in all, it was going to be a long day; one he was not looking forward to.

* * *

**A/N:** VIOLET = mystery and nobility.

"Mystery" is where there are all the typing mistakes, so you don't need to point that out XD I think you should be able to read what it says, but if not, let me know. Anyways, it's done that way on purpose so you can read it (hopefully), yet to indicate that she's speaking in a "foreign language" that Kouno and Saitou don't understand.


	9. Mission Accomplished

Perfect timing~ Part 2 of your gift Dear4Life. Happy birthday! ^^

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**Chapter 9 – Mission Accomplished**

Shuffling his feet as he walked along the concrete pavement, Hei buried his hands deep into his pant pockets. His gaze was averted downwards, a slight hunch to his shoulders as he continued along the way. He was headed towards the park where he was to meet the others, but he was dressed as Li Sheng Shun since that was his regular cover; the shy and unassuming foreign exchange student from China.

He already knew what this would be about as he had administered the last potion to Misaki Kirihara three days ago. Knowing that, the only thing Huang would be able to tell him was the Syndicate's reaction now that he had carried out their orders; something he didn't really give a damn about.

Even so, his presence was deemed necessary and all he could do was appear. He already heard enough crap from Huang; not showing up would only give the man more ammunition for his verbal arsenal.

When he entered the park, it was to see that he was the last to arrive – like usual. Yin was sitting on the circular bench with Mao on her lap. Huang was pacing next to the slide as he was puffing on a cigarette, waiting for his arrival.

As he passed by Yin and Mao, both of them glanced at him momentarily before turning their gaze away. Yin went back to staring at a tree while Mao resettled himself, preparing for a nap. Huang didn't speak even though he saw him approach. He might have been the last to arrive, but he was still on time.

"Mission accomplished," Huang stated as Hei seated himself on the steps of the slide. "They've marked it as a job well done – so I'm told. I knew you couldn't screw up this one."

"And the results?"

"Damned if I know," Huang replied with a shrug.

"They didn't say anything about their purpose of this mission?"

"No and I didn't ask. It's nothing we need to know."

"So what now?" Hei inquired, knowing he wouldn't get any answers from Huang.

"Nothing. We wait for the next assignment. Keep a low profile and don't do anything stupid. I don't want to get dragged into your screw ups."

Hei glanced at him, giving the man a cold stare. He knew the rules; he didn't have to repeat himself every single time. Huang shrank back slightly before throwing down the butt of his cigarette and crushing it under his foot. With a final glance in his direction, Huang wandered off as that was all he had been told to relay.

"And back to the waiting game," Mao commented when Huang was out of sight.

"Seems so."

* * *

Alone in his apartment, a feeling of déjà vu hit him. This was exactly what he had done after Huang had informed him of the mission. Of course that man wasn't helpful; Hei never expected anything of him, especially because of his high level of distrust towards Contractors.

He should have known better, but part of him was still trying to figure out why they had given him such a strange mission. Potions with various effects, none of them death, hardly seemed like the type of thing the Syndicate would waste both time and money looking into.

Slowly closing his eyes, he pushed those questioning thoughts from his mind. All he could say was that he was glad it was finally over. It was a terrible mission for all the wrong reasons. Though everything had worked out, he was forced to witness facets of Misaki Kirihara's personality that were better left alone and untouched.

Though she had forgotten most of what happened because of them, he couldn't say the same. He supposed it was for the better in most cases, but even so… At least she didn't forget the most important part and the best part in his opinion; the fact that he had finally spent both the evening and the next morning with her.

He was supposed to be Li, yet he purposely chose not to act that way. The shyness was only an act and though she was attracted to that aspect of him, he didn't want it to be that way. He didn't want to pretend in front of her. As a result, he chose to do exactly what he felt like doing as himself.

Sighing softly, his thoughts returned to the original problem – why the Syndicate would want to experiment on Misaki and force him to be the one to carry it out. There was only one explanation that he could think of. It was meant to be a test of his loyalty. A test of that nature could have been worse, a lot worse. Besides, they were the ones who had practically pushed them to be together; making that many potions like one wasn't enough.

If they thought he was fully on their side after this, then that was their problem. He had always acted according to his own agenda as there were answers that he was looking for. After everything that had happened between him and Misaki, that fact was not about to change. In fact, that was all the more reason to continue acting as he deemed fit.

* * *

**A/N:** And that's a wrap~ I hope you enjoyed the story as much as I did writing it ^^ And an extra thank you to those who reviewed and/or favourite'd the story! Much appreciated~


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